The Thir13enth Ghost: A Fine Collection
by Magdalena Iris Roth
Summary: [REVAMPED] What happens when Dennis Rafkin meets his match while working with Cyrus Kriticos? Will she change his destiny, or join him in his painful end? Series 1: A Fine Collection finally finished!
1. Dennis Rafkin

Author's Note:  
  
This is a fic about the character Dennis Rafkin, from the movie Thir13en Ghosts, and another psychic that he meets while working with Cyrus Kriticos. It is a little romantic, so please be ready for something kinda sappy near the end!  
  
Please send me reviews... I am like an addict with them!!!  
  
P.S. I previously had a story in this category, but since I thought up a better story plan I removed it. I sorta incorporated the old story into the new one... sorta.  
  
~ Magdalena Roth  
  
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The Thir13enth Ghost: A Fine Collection  
  
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By: Magdalena Iris Roth  
  
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~Memory is a selection of images, some elusive, others printed indelibly on the brain.~  
  
- Eve Batiste, Eve's Bayou  
  
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Memories:  
  
October 29, 1983  
  
M. Sanderfer's School For The Gifted, Maine  
  
(Narrator: Dennis Rafkin)  
  
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When I was five both my parents died, I don't remember how but I'm sure it had something to do with their gifts, if that's what you would call it, a gift. Soon after their deaths I was sent to this school for 'special' kids who had gifts too, all I remember from being there is sitting outside, under a tree that was pretty far away from the playground. I would sit there and watch the others play, which I couldn't because I wasn't aloud to touch anyone, even though the teachers at the school made me wear gloves, even in the summer.  
  
See I am what you would call a freak, every time I touch someone I see their past and memories, I can also feel their pain. Whenever I come near anything dead, or a spirit, I go into seizures, the pain is so strong that I prefer to be left along.  
  
One day when I was ten, a couple days before Halloween, this girl walked up to me while I was sitting under the tree. She had long light brown hair that was braided in two pigtails that fell past her ears and to her chest. She looked younger than me, but I couldn't see much of her because of her blue coat that looked too big for her body, she walked over to where I was sitting and just stared at me. At first I thought she was going to call me a freak, like everyone else did, but instead she just stared at me, like she could see right through me to my soul, hell being at that school she probably could. Her sapphire eyes peered through my glasses into mine, she didn't say a word and neither did I.  
  
I don't know how long she stared at me, it was like I was in a daze from it all, but then she walked closer to me. She sat down right in front of me, and continued to stare into my eyes, but then my daze was broke when I realized that I forgot to wear my gloves that day, so I looked down, and saw she was holding my hand, and she wasn't wearing gloves either. I was in shock from it all I think, here was this weird girl, that I didn't know, and she was able to touch me without me seeing everything about her. Of course one of the teachers caught sight of this and ran straight over to us, the teacher grabbed and pulled her away, like I was trying to kill her or something. They walked away, almost running, the girl looked back at me, there was a sadness to her eyes, but I never knew why, I also never knew her name.  
  
For some strange and messed up reason this was the only happy childhood memory I ever had, its sad, I know. But look at me now, living from day to day in a lousy, cheap apartment in Pennsylvania, hardly any food in the refrigerator, its kinda hard finding a job when you're like me. But hopefully it won't be like that anymore, cuz today, it's all over! And I couldn't be happier!  
  
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The Present Day:  
  
17 Years Later, October 29, 2000  
  
Dennis Rafkin's Apartment, Pennsylvania  
  
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Dennis got out of bed, it was almost one o'clock in the afternoon. He looked around the room, it was a mess as usual, he walked into the living room and turned on the TV. Cartoons blasted over the sound of him rummaging through the cabinets, looking for something to eat, but there was nothing. He sighed as he sat down at the rickety kitchen table, he had a headache as usual, he grabbed a pill bottle off the table, but when he opened it, it was empty.  
  
"Last refill." He read from the label, then he threw the bottle across the room.  
  
He then picked up the kitchen chair and walked into the bedroom with it. He sat it directly in the middle of the room, above it was an exposed pipe. Dennis then walked to the bed and grabbed a sheet, he twisted the sheet, trying his best to make a noose out of it. After he twisted it enough he hung it from the pipe, he stepped up to it on the chair and put the loop around his neck. He closed his eyes, and just as he was about to step off the chair he heard the sound of someone beating at the front door.  
  
"Rafkin! The rent is over due again!!!" the voice of an angry women screamed at the front door.  
  
"Painful to the very end." He muttered, and removed the sheet from around his neck.  
  
"Rafkin!!!!" the landlady screamed louder as she pounded on the door even harder.  
  
Dennis stumbled to the front door of the apartment, he slowly opened it. The landlady stared at him, she glanced at the white t-shirt he was wearing.  
  
"Bad night?" she said referring to his appearance.  
  
"Bad life." He answered.  
  
"Where's my rent?"  
  
"I don't know, ask the neighbors."  
  
She laughed slightly, then her expression changed as she became even angrier.  
  
"I want my rent today, or you're out of here tomorrow!" she said cruelly and charged away from his door.  
  
"Great, just what I need." Dennis mumbled, more depressed than ever.  
  
He shut the front door and slowly walked back to the bedroom, ready to finish what the landlady had interrupted, but then just as he got to the bedroom doorway the phone rang.  
  
"Hello?" he answered the phone in a downhearted tone.  
  
"Mr. Rafkin I presume?" the man on the other end asked.  
  
"Yeah... What do you want?"  
  
"I was just wondering if you would be interested in a job."  
  
Dennis hesitated for a moment, thinking over what the man was asking.  
  
"Are you still there?" the man questioned.  
  
"Yeah, I'm here... what kind of job exactly?"  
  
"Well it would involve your psychic abilities..."  
  
"What kind of job?" Dennis asked again, interrupting the man on the other end."  
  
"Let's just say I'm a collector of rare things, and you would be able to help me find what I am looking for. Are you interested, or not?"  
  
"Sure."  
  
"Alright then, met me tonight, 7pm at this address..." the man then gave Dennis the address.  
  
"Okay, but who are you-" the man hung up on the other line, leaving Dennis without his name.  
  
Dennis sighed, deciding to wait on what he was planning to do before the two distractions came upon him. 


	2. Evelyn Chase

The clear walls glistened as the dim lights flashed over the pale Latin spells that were inscribed on the glass walls that surrounded her. Evelyn stared in horror at the twisted metal that spun around its mechanical center, releasing the evil in which the enchanted glass imprisoned.  
  
She awoke startled in her bed, sweat pouring from her head, Evelyn looked around the dark room, she was alone as usual.  
  
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Four In The Morning:  
  
4am, October 29, 2000  
  
Evelyn's Apartment, Downtown New York  
  
(Narrator: Evelyn Chase)  
  
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Once again I awoke in my bed, alone and in the dark, but then again that's how I had spent most of my life. Ya think I would have gotten use to this by now, the nightmares I mean, I've been waking up with them since I was five, and they just keep getting worse.  
  
What time is it? God, its four in the morning... now what? If I go back to sleep I'll probably have another dream like the last, same sliding walls and spinning floor, I wish my mind would perceive something different for a change!  
  
*Sighs*  
  
Looks like I'm up for the night.  
  
In case you were wondering I'm what they call 'psychic', no biggy really, just visions and dreams of things I can't get out of my head, no matter how hard I try. There is this other thing, whenever I look into someone's eyes I see their past, memories, some say I can even see their 'soul', but I doubt I'm that perceptive. They say I can't be read, by other psychics I mean, when they touch me or look in my eyes they see nothing, who knows... maybe I don't have a soul.  
  
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The sun was rising, Evelyn had been up since four. She walked to the window and looked out, it was the 29th of October, and the beginning of a beautiful autumn day. She stared out the window for at least two minutes, maybe more, she dunked a tea bag in her black coffee cup that was full of steaming water. Evelyn peered down into the cup of water, as she looked into the dark pit-like cup she saw the vision of someone's face, but she was unable to make it out.  
  
Just then she was snapped back to reality by a knock on the front door of her apartment, she walked to it and glanced out the peephole. She opened the door to her friend Alexandria who stood in front of her.  
  
"What's up?" Alex asked Evelyn in a somewhat happy mood.  
  
"Not much, you?"  
  
"Same. So, where we going today?"  
  
"I have no idea, I tried for that job in Manhattan, but they turned me down, turns out sleep deprivation doesn't work well in the workplace." Evelyn said in an angry tone.  
  
"Damn them, they just don't know how to handle people like us." Alex sighed.  
  
"Its different with you though, at least you can sleep at night."  
  
"Yeah, and hearing voices really helps me out in the world... Schizophrenia!" she muttered in a mocking tone.  
  
As Evelyn sipped her tea, the phone rang, Alex reached over and picked up the receiver.  
  
"Hello?" she asked.  
  
"Is this Evelyn Chase?" the male voice on the other line echoed into Alex's ear.  
  
"Here she is." Alex handed the phone to Evelyn.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Ms. Chase I presume?"  
  
"Yes, who is this?"  
  
"My name is Cyrus Kriticos, and I was wondering if you and your friend Ms. Ross would be interested in a job. It would involve the usage of your psychic abilities of course."  
  
Evy glanced at Alex who was idly swinging her legs as they hung over the kitchen counter she was sitting on.  
  
"What kind of job?" she questioned, realizing their desperate need for employment. 


	3. He'll Be Back!

"We have been driving for hours! Where in the hell are we?" Alex squealed in the passenger seat as Evelyn drove.  
  
"I don't know... I'm just following the directions he gave me." Evy glanced back and forth from the road to the paper she had copied the directions onto.  
  
They finally arrived at the address that the man 'Cyrus Kriticos' had given them, Alex and Evy stepped out of their car and walked towards the red brick house that was in front of them. Evy looked down at her watch, it read 7:08pm.  
  
"Just made it." She sighed, she then heard the sound of another car pull up to where they were.  
  
They turned around just as a cab was coming to a stop by their car, they could hear the sound of arguing coming from inside it.  
  
"Look, I told you this is all I got! Just take it!" someone yelled at the driver of the cab as the back door was opened.  
  
The man in the back seat threw a handful of ones at the driver and jumped out of the cab, the driver sped off in anger... almost taking the man's left leg with him.  
  
"God! What is wrong with people these days!" the man yelled as he gave the speeding cab the finger.  
  
Alex chuckled as Evy just stared at the man curiously. He was tall, and was wearing a gray sweater and black pants that looked like he had slept in them. He looked over at the two, peering at them through his black-rimmed glasses.  
  
"What the hell are you laughing at?" he said to Alex in an annoyed voice as he walked past them.  
  
They followed him to the front door of the house, he knocked on it. A man in his late twenties opened the door, he had short blonde hair and was wearing a strange looking clear jacket over his clothes.  
  
"Hello, you must be the ones Cyrus mentioned... do come in." he said politely in an English accent.  
  
The three stepped into the brick house, as soon as they were inside they realized it was vacant. The walls were bare, the floors were cold and the wood was exposed, it was colder in the house than it was outside. Evy pulled her black coat around her body as she saw her breath when she exhaled.  
  
The blonde man led them into the large middle room of the house, there were several folding chairs set up. Then someone entered from the next room, he was older, in his fifties, and wore an expensive black suit and coat.  
  
"Hello, I am Cyrus Kriticos." The man's voice echoed, just as it had on the phone. "I am so glad you all made it. You must be Dennis Rafkin." He then extended his hand to the tall man that stood in front of Evelyn.  
  
Dennis just looked at Cyrus' hand, then put his own behind his back. There was an awkward moment of silence, then Cyrus reached his hand over to Evelyn.  
  
"Evelyn Chase?" Cyrus asked, she nodded.  
  
Evy shook his hand, Cyrus then extended it to Alex.  
  
"Alexandria Ross." Alex stated before Cyrus had a chance to.  
  
After Alex shook the man's hand he turned to the blonde man and a woman that had just entered the room.  
  
"This is Henry Morris." Cyrus pointed out, the blonde man nodded at them.  
  
The woman just looked around, with a look of paranoia on her pale face. She was also in her late twenties and had curly dark brown hair that fell wildly to her shoulders.  
  
"And this is, Serena Oretzia." The woman just glanced at Cyrus, then looked back to Henry.  
  
"Uh, what are we doing here?" Dennis interrupted.  
  
"Ah, yes. You three were called here because of your psychic talents. See I collect spirits... ghosts you might even say."  
  
The three stared at Cyrus... not knowing what to say.  
  
"What?" Alex sneered.  
  
"There's no such thing as ghosts." Evy stated calmly.  
  
Cyrus looked over to Dennis, who was glancing at the floor, he had the same paranoid look on his face that Serena had.  
  
"Not this... no. Why ghosts? Why me?" Dennis muttered frantically, turning to leave the house.  
  
"Mr. Rafkin, where are you going?" Cyrus asked.  
  
"Home!"  
  
"How exactly? You have no car, no money... you hardly have a place to go home to."  
  
"I'll manage!" Dennis yelled, slamming the door as he left.  
  
Henry went to go after him, but Cyrus stopped him.  
  
"Don't worry, he'll be back." Cyrus promised. 


	4. The Pain

Pain:  
  
(Narrator: Dennis Rafkin)  
  
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What, does he think I'm crazy? Or just stupid?  
  
Of course I'm not going to help him collect ghosts... I don't need that kinda pain in my head, don't I have enough already? All I need is to go near something dead and have my brain sizzle, I don't even have any more painkillers! Damnit! I'll just have to walk home, see if I care!  
  
Okay... so where's the highway? Where the hell am I?  
  
Aaaahhhhh!!!!!!  
  
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Dennis screamed in pain a few moments after he marched out of the red brick house. He made it to the sidewalk, then bang! The pain hit him!  
  
"Aaaahhhhh!!!!!!" he screeched, holding his head as he fell to the cold concrete ground.  
  
The visions hit him worse than the pain ever could, the sight of a little boy and his friend playing cowboys and Indians, then someone decided to use a real bow and arrow set.  
  
The sound of Dennis' screams found its way to the ones inside the house, Evy and Alex ran outside to see what had happened, the others followed.  
  
"Are you okay?" Evy asked as she ran to where he was lying.  
  
Alex reached down to help him up, but just as she touched him Dennis let out another painful scream.  
  
"No! Don't touch me!!! Don't touch me!!!" he yelled at her as he tried to pick himself up off of the concrete.  
  
"What happened?" Cyrus insisted to know, "What did you see?"  
  
"This little boy... he got shot through the head with an arrow!" Dennis muttered, standing upright, holding his head still in pain.  
  
Alex looked over at Evelyn confused.  
  
"Excellent! And all this time we figured Billy had been killed in the backyard!" Cyrus said joyously, the three just stared at him as if he were a talking dog or something unnatural. "Henry! Get the others, tell them to bring the cube around to the front yard!" Cyrus demanded.  
  
Henry ran to the backyard, a few moments later a group of black vans pulled up to the front of the house. 


	5. First Born

!Attention!  
  
*Lives Less Ordinary* is now officially known as *The Thir13enth Ghost* (See I changed the name... cuz it was lame!)  
  
Also, you may have noticed that my chapters are extremely short... well that's kinda why I submit them in two's. So please just try and bear with me on it!  
  
And I am working on making this story a series... so I guess you'll have to put up with a whole lot more of this crap, LOL!  
  
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First Born  
  
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The row of black vans were accompanied by a forklift carrying a weird looking glass cage, it was covered in writings that appeared to be of Latin origins.  
  
"Where is your sister tonight Serena?" Cyrus asked the dark haired woman as she trailed behind him.  
  
"You know how Kalina feels about your line of work, Cyrus." Serena smarted as she watched the group of men wearing the strange clear jackets and clear glasses set up speakers around the front lawn.  
  
"Yes... she can be quite difficult when it comes to doing the right thing." Cyrus added, walking away from Serena, closer to where the glass cage was placed. "Power up the cube!"  
  
"What in the hell is going on?" Alex asked while Evy and Dennis stood next to her, dumbfounded.  
  
"Cyrus is trying to collect ghosts... twelve to be exact. I just hope he knows what he's getting himself into." Serena answered, walking over to Henry.  
  
"Ahhh! Goddamnit!" Dennis screamed, holding his head in pain once again.  
  
"You okay?" Evy asked.  
  
"Not really!" Dennis yelled.  
  
Evy just sighed... not knowing what to do to help.  
  
"Here, put these on." Henry insisted, handing them three pairs of the weird clear glasses, the ones that Serena and himself were already wearing.  
  
"What are these?" Dennis asked, trying his best to take them from Henry without touching him.  
  
"They're spectral viewers, they allow you to see the spirits." Henry told them.  
  
"Great... we get see ghosts!" Alex said sarcastically... trying not to laugh.  
  
"Just go along with it." Evy insisted, Dennis just looked over at them, feeling sorry that they were disbelievers.  
  
Evy and Dennis put the glasses on, Alex slowly slipped them onto her face, laughing slightly as she did. As soon as the glasses were on, Alex let out a blood-wrenching scream, falling backwards onto the lawn. The other two looked down in front of her mesmerized at what they saw, standing in front of them was a small boy... he had a tomahawk in his hand and an arrow through his head!  
  
Alex let out another scream as she laid on the ground, petrified, Henry and Serena ran over to her, trying not to disturb the angry child.  
  
"Start transmitting!" they heard Cyrus yell from behind them, then they heard the sound of someone chanting strange words in Latin coming from the speakers.  
  
"W-wh-ats that sound?" Evy asked in a terrified tone.  
  
"They're spells that call the ghost to the cube." Henry stated quietly.  
  
The angry child turned towards Henry quickly, staring at him evilly. The boy moved towards Henry slowly, the bloody arrow pierced through his small forehead. Henry backed away slowly towards the glass cage, the ghost child followed. Just as he neared to the opening of the cube its glass doors flew open, Henry leaped out of the way, the doors slammed shut and the child was trapped.  
  
"What the hell!" Dennis yelled, running over to the glass prison.  
  
Serena helped Henry up off the ground as Evelyn helped Alex.  
  
"Is this thing safe... I mean, can it get free?" Dennis asked Cyrus as he stared into the cube.  
  
"The containment spells are strong enough to hold him, and if that fails there are always the hidden barrier spells to give more protection." Cyrus stated, wearing the weird glasses as he stared in at the boy who screamed in anger.  
  
"Good, cuz he looks pissed!" Dennis said taking off the glasses. 


	6. Exhausted

Ghost Hunters:  
  
(Narrator: Evelyn Chase)  
  
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We road in our car for what seemed like forever, following those damn black vans and that weird old car of Cyrus'. That Dennis guy road with Cyrus, since he didn't have a car or cab fair, Serena and Henry went in one of the vans.  
  
God! I am so tired! When in the hell are we going to get to this stupid hotel?  
  
Cyrus said he would explain everything once we got back to this hotel where he had reserved rooms for us all. Looks like this is it... the vans are pulling into the parking lot of a pretty big hotel, looks kinda nice... I just hope they don't expect us to pay our way!  
  
"Are we there yet?" Alex squealed beside me, she was just as exhausted as I was.  
  
We got out of the car and walked to the entrance of the hotel, the others were waiting by the doors. In the main lobby Cyrus told us what we needed to know.  
  
"Now that you know what I am collecting, perhaps you would like to know who The First Born Son was?" he asked us, we were all huddled together in the lobby chairs, trying not to let our conversation out.  
  
"Why not" I sighed, too tired to talk.  
  
"Back in the early sixties, Billy Michaels was your average seven-year-old kid. "Serena narrated to us. "His one true wish was to grow up and become just like his heroes... the cowboys on TV. He never obeyed his parents, and they rarely disciplined him, his father would call him 'Billy the Brat' because he always got what he wanted. One day when he was playing cowboys and Indians with his friend Danny, Billy's mother told him not to play with Danny's real bow and arrow set. But of course Billy never obeyed his mother, and I'm sure now he wishes he would have listened to her when she told him not to shoot the arrow up into the air like his friend Danny did."  
  
Alex looked over at me, she had the look of fear in her brown eyes, and the feeling was mutual. I looked over at Dennis, he was staring at the floor, all fidgety as usual. Cyrus looked over at me with his deep stare.  
  
"So, Miss Chase, are you and your friend Miss Ross interested in joining my team?" he echoed.  
  
Dennis looked over at me... his teal eyes staring into mine, I looked away from his gaze, towards Alex.  
  
"Its up to you." I told Alex, she looked up at me.  
  
"How much does something like this pay?" she asked Cyrus uneasily.  
  
Cyrus nodded to Henry.  
  
"Five Thousand Dollars a ghost." Henry stated, his English accent making the money sound even more tempting.  
  
"Five Grand a piece?" Dennis asked eagerly, Cyrus nodded.  
  
I think all three of us said yes at the same time... I can't remember for certain, we signed our names on Cyrus' contract, unaware that we had now sealed our profession... and our fate, for we were now 'Ghost Hunters'.  
  
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Evy opened the door to her hotel room, Alex was behind her with their bags. It was a pretty big room, two bedrooms, and a large living room. Alex threw the bags on the floor while Evy scoped out the rooms.  
  
"God... I think I'm gonna pass out, or throw up... something along those lines." Alex whined as she collapsed in the chair.  
  
Evy crawled into her bed, "Goodnight." She sighed and almost blacked out as she fell automatically to sleep, still in the clothes she had been wearing that day.  
  
Alex got up out of the chair and hobbled into the next room, falling on her bed to sleep as well.  
  
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Dennis walked to his room, key in hand. He watched as Serena and Henry went into the room across from his, together. Seeing the way they were holding each other, Dennis made a face as if they were something gross or disgusting. He entered his room, tired and confused. He laid down his 'one' bag and walked to the small refrigerator in the living room, he opened it and removed one of the many small bottles of alcohol.  
  
"Thank God!" he sighed as he twisted the top off the bottle and threw it on the floor, downing the liquid in the tiny bottle.  
  
He grabbed another bottle from the fridge and went into the single bedroom. Dennis laid down on the bed, he stared up at the ceiling, he leaned up and drank from the bottle.  
  
"What a life!" he whispered as he emptied the bottle and laid on his back till he passed out. 


	7. The Right Thing To Do?

The Right Thing To Do:  
  
(Narrator: Evelyn Chase)  
  
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The fire woke me up that night. It was only in my head... but it still burned through my thoughts that whole day. It had been almost two weeks since we trapped Billy, and Cyrus was starting to become impatient with Serena, who for some reason couldn't pin point the exact location of Jimmy Gambino's remains. So there we stayed... in the hotel, our expenses paid for by the strange collector.  
  
Serena's twin sister, Kalina showed up a few days ago to help her find what Cyrus was looking for, I don't understand how it could take so long to find out where some gambler was buried. I hadn't seen much of Dennis... he preferred to hide in his room, in fact I think the only time his door opened was to receive the room-service he had order... but not that I'm spying on him or anything.  
  
For the past three nights I have been having nightmares about fire... and a women engulfed by it. She keeps screaming and screaming as her husband and children watch her burn, helpless to save her. When I awoke from the nightmare I felt as if I were on fire as well, so I decided to do something about it.  
  
"We leave tomorrow!" Alex yelled to me as she ran down the hotel hallway to our room.  
  
"Thank God... I think I'm starting to get cabin fever in this place." I muttered to her. It was one in the afternoon and cold as hell outside, we were at some hotel in Pennsylvania, so I decided to do something right for once in my life... little did I know I was about to alter fate just so I could sleep at night.  
  
"I gotta go do something before we leave tomorrow." I told Alex, walking away from her backwards.  
  
"What?" she asked me, but I wasn't sure if I should tell her, it was after all, pretty insane.  
  
"I'll tell you when I get back in a few hours." And with that I left the hotel, got in my car and began to drive to the other side of the state.  
  
Four hours later I was in a really nice neighborhood on the eastern side of Pennsylvania, the trees were crisp with autumn leaves, it looked just like a sitcom on TV. I looked at the address of the little white house in front of me... it was the same address in my dream. I walked up to the front door and rang the doorbell, I had no idea how I was going to explain myself to whoever opened the door... but I had to try.  
  
The door opened, a young girl in her late teens with straight light brown hair stood in front of me.  
  
"Uh, can I help you?" she asked me, wondering who I was.  
  
"Is Arthur Kriticos here?" I asked hesitantly.  
  
"Yeah, just a sec... Dad!!!" She called her father to the front door as I unbuttoned by black coat.  
  
"Can I help you?" the dark haired man in his late thirties asked me as he walked over to where his daughter, Kathy was previously standing.  
  
"Yes, I'm-"I was interrupted by his wife who stood next to him.  
  
"Who is it dear?" she asked Arthur in a sweet voice... my heart almost stopped beating when I realized that she was the burning woman in my nightmares.  
  
"Can I come in?" I asked, Arthur nodded as I entered their house.  
  
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Evy turned off the transmission on her car, she sat in the drivers seat, alone in the hotel parking lot for a while... thinking about what she had just done, wondering if it was the right thing to do. Then, as she stared at the clock on the stereo, watching the numbers glow 8:46pm, she remembered the faces of Arthur and Jean's two children, and how happy they were that their mother and father were okay. Even though she knew Arthur didn't believe she was psychic, he was still too paranoid to ignore her warning, this Christmas they would not leave unattended smoldering logs in their fireplace!  
  
As she walked into the hotel's entrance with her head down, tired from driving eight hours, Evy bumped into someone, knocking them both to the floor. She then almost immediately realized who she had knocked down by the way he was yelling.  
  
"Don't touch me Damnit!" Dennis shrieked as he tried to get up off the hotel's carpet. "Oh, its you." He said in an almost disappointed tone as he spotted Evelyn.  
  
"Yeah... its me." Evy said sadly as she rose to her feet.  
  
Dennis put his black-rimmed glasses back on his face as he searched for where his bag had fallen. He picked up his one bag with his clothes in it and looked over at Evelyn, who was looking back at his suspiciously.  
  
"You're leaving, aren't you?" she asked sadly.  
  
"I'm getting my ass out of here before Cyrus ships me to New York to catch his next ghost!" Dennis said in an angry tone.  
  
"Why are you so afraid of ghosts?"  
  
"Cuz! They give me a headache! Now if you don't mind... I'm leaving." Dennis tried to push past Evy without touching her, but she wouldn't let him pass. "Get out of my way!" he demanded.  
  
"No. You can't leave..." Evy said staring up at him.  
  
"Oh, and why not!"  
  
"Because... well..." Evy tried to say what she thought, but it was difficult for her to admit.  
  
"Well what?" Dennis sneered.  
  
"We need you, to help with the ghost." She said, hiding the real reason she wanted him to stay.  
  
"No you don't, you and Alex are psychic, right? You two can cut it without me!"  
  
"No! We cant! You are more intuitive than the two of us put together, and you know that!"  
  
"So?"  
  
"So, you're staying!" and with that Evy grabbed Dennis' luggage and marched away to her room.  
  
"Wait! Bring that back!" Dennis screamed running after her frantically.  
  
"No!" Evy yelled back.  
  
Alex was coming out of her room when she caught sight of Dennis and Evy playing tug-o-war with the black bag.  
  
"What in the..." Alex said to herself as she walked over to the two.  
  
"Damnit! Let go!" Dennis said in anger.  
  
"You'd actually leave us to die!?!" Evy yelled back, trying with all her might to hold onto his luggage.  
  
"Yes... I would!" he said smartly.  
  
"What are you two doing?" Alex asked confused.  
  
"He's gonna leave before we get to New York... you know that we can't catch ghosts without him!" Evy told her, still holding onto the bag, trying to pull it from his grip.  
  
"He can't leave... he doesn't have anywhere to go!" Alex corrected them.  
  
Dennis let go of the bag, sending Evy to the ground.  
  
"Ouch!" Evy squealed as she got up off the floor.  
  
"So what! I don't have a place to live, or money to live on! I'm still not stupid enough to have a brain hemorrhage because I need money!" Dennis said in his usual fidgety manor.  
  
"You've been having to put up with your head like that all of your life, but now you decide that it's a problem! Come on! You're just afraid of ghosts!" Evy mockingly suggested.  
  
"You think I'm scared of them! Hell no!"  
  
"Then prove it! Go to New York with us, prove that you're not afraid of some stupid ghosts!" Evy had challenged him, but would he accept it?  
  
"Fine! You want me to-" Dennis reached down and grabbed the bag off the ground. "I'll show you!" he marched off to his room, slamming the door behind him.  
  
Evy looked at Alex and sighed.  
  
"Man I love reverse psychology!" Evy said triumphantly, her and Alex then went into their rooms.  
  
"I don't know why you wasted your time with him, its not like we really need him around!" Alex stated.  
  
"Sure we need him, he can point out the ghost's exact location, it saves us a lot of time. Easy way to make money if ya ask me!" Evy said deviously as she pulled back her long curly light brown hair.  
  
"You are so evil!" Alex said sarcastically as she shook her head at Evelyn. 


	8. The Conversation At Hand

A Girl:  
  
(Narrator: Dennis Rafkin)  
  
*  
  
Great... so I was just outsmarted by a girl... a weird girl, but never the less... a girl! A pretty, but weird girl... and her eyes, where have I seen them before! Damn my memory! She is kinda nice though, right? God! What am I saying! I'm gonna die if I keep this shit up! I need a drink!  
  
Damnit! Out of booze! Out of pills! Out of hope! I need a liquor store, or a pharmacy... either one would be nice right about now!  
  
Wait! I think I saw a twenty-four hour pharmacy down the road from the hotel! I can't believe I've been here all this time and didn't remember that pharmacy! Now where did I put that prescription?  
  
*  
  
*  
  
*  
  
Dennis left the hotel, walking down the side of the highway, prescription in hand.  
  
Meanwhile in Serena and Henry's room at the hotel, some careful planning was being done.  
  
"So, Cyrus thinks he can just trap them does he?" Kalina asked her twin, but not identical, sister Serena.  
  
"I guess you could say that." Serena answered.  
  
"Well why this guy, he seems a little... well, not all there!" Kalina said, commenting on the description of the second ghost.  
  
"I have no idea, Cyrus gives me their names and locations, it's my job to find out exactly where they are. I got a little help last time though."  
  
"Really, how." Kalina asked smugly.  
  
"The tall guy, Dennis, he seems to be able to predict where they are, down to the very last detail!"  
  
"You don't like him I take it?" Kalina asked, hearing the sound in her sister's voice when she spoke of Dennis.  
  
"He just seems to know too much is all, like he and Cyrus are, well..."  
  
"In cahoots?" Kalina said, interrupting her.  
  
"Exactly, you think so too?"  
  
"I don't know, he just doesn't seem the type... he looks too stupid to me." Kalina remarked, rolling up some old tarnished scrolls.  
  
"He's smarter than he looks, him and that one girl, Evelyn... I think something is up with her too!"  
  
"Well, anything is possible." Kalina stated with a conniving tone to her voice.  
  
"I'm back." Henry said calmly as he entered the hotel room, interrupting the conversation at hand.  
  
He walked over to Serena and kissed her on the cheek, Kalina stared at them evilly the whole time.  
  
*  
  
*  
  
*  
  
Gettin' Paid:  
  
(Narrator: Dennis Rafkin)  
  
*  
  
Great... pain killers! Finally, I have more! At least this will help with the headaches tomorrow! God, I still can't get over the fact that she talked me into going to New York tomorrow! I must be going soft!  
  
What am I going to do? I need the money, but is it really worth it? I mean, my life... the ghosts' lives, or at least what's left of them?  
  
*sigh*  
  
Yep! It's worth it! Call me selfish, insensitive... what have you, but at least I'm gettin' paid!  
  
*  
  
*  
  
*  
  
Dennis got back to his hotel room, it was around ten at that time, and he was tired from walking. He laid down on the bed and dozed off, content with the thought of having his 'trusty painkillers' at his side.  
  
A knock came on the door, and Dennis awoke almost instantly, jittery. He walked to the door, wearing the same wrinkled red sweater and black pants he had on the previous night.  
  
"What- oh... its you." Dennis said as he opened the door, his loud tone fading to a disappointing one as he saw Evelyn standing before him.  
  
"Yeah... its me." She said in the same sad tone as before in the lobby when she had knocked him down.  
  
"What do ya want now, its-" he paused to glance at the clock on the wall. "its four in the morning!"  
  
"Its time to go, get your stuff."  
  
"What! Now, we're leaving now, in the middle of the night!?!" he asked in a jumpy manor.  
  
"Well to some people its morning, not night, so... yes, we're leaving." Evy said, walking away from Dennis' hotel room.  
  
"Oh, how convenient for 'some people'!" Dennis muttered as he gathered his things and left the hotel room for the last time. 


	9. Torso

*****  
  
Torso  
  
*****  
  
Many hours of driving later, as the sun rose in the fall sky, Evy noticed something that was out of the ordinary.  
  
"What the hell... where are we going?" she asked herself out loud.  
  
"What do ya mean?" Alex asked, awaking in the passengers seat.  
  
"We got on the New Jersey Turnpike about a half hour ago, and we still haven't gotten to New York?"  
  
"I think we're going to the New Jersey coast." Alex realized as she looked out the window.  
  
The black vans in front of Evy's car came to a stop several minutes later, only a few yards away from where the coast of New Jersey meets the Atlantic Ocean. The van's doors opened, everyone got out of their automobiles and looked around at the coast.  
  
"What are we doing in New Jersey, I thought we were going to New York!" Evy yelled to Serena and her sister over the crashing waves of the ocean.  
  
"Ah, yes... seems I was mistaken, as Ms. Oretzia has brought to my attention," Cyrus said, referring to Kalina as he walked over to where Evelyn and the others were standing. "Jimmy Gambino was not killed in New York, but New Jersey."  
  
"Ahhh! Shit!" Dennis moaned as he stumbled out of one of the black vans, holding his head as usual.  
  
"So I see." Evy said, looking at Dennis, concerned.  
  
Dennis reached into his pocket and pulled out the bottle of painkillers, as soon as Cyrus caught sight of this he became infuriated.  
  
"Mr. Rafkin!" Cyrus shouted, knocking Alex out of his way with his cane as he made his way furiously towards Dennis who was terrified of the look on Cyrus face.  
  
"Oh boy!" Dennis squealed as he hid the pill bottle in his pocket and ran back inside the black van for safety.  
  
Evy and Alex stood dumbfounded as they watched the way Cyrus' attitude had drastically changed.  
  
"I need you clear headed, do you understand me, Dennis!" Cyrus shouted to the cringing man in the van.  
  
"Yes, yes, I understand... sorry!" Dennis screamed with fright.  
  
"Leave... leave him alone!" Evy hesitantly remarked as Cyrus turned his attention towards her.  
  
"I am paying you three a great deal of money to do a job that you are clearly not doing!" Cyrus yelled at them. "Now go do what I pay you for!" he said evilly, pointing to the dock by the sea.  
  
Cyrus reached into the van and pulled Dennis out by the collar of his sweater, almost pulling it off as Dennis fell to the sandy cold ground.  
  
"No!" Alex screamed, distracting the others from Cyrus' patronizing of Dennis. Alex' eyes were rolled back in her head as she screamed 'no' over and over again, she seemed to be in a trance, possessed by something, or someone.  
  
"What's happening to her?" Henry asked Evelyn.  
  
"Its her 'gift'." Cyrus echoed to them.  
  
"What?" Serena asked.  
  
"Its like in the movie Ghost, when Patrick Swayze used Whoopi Goldberg's body to talk to Demi Moore, ghosts use Alex' body to contact this realm." Evy stated. "She's a medium."  
  
"I thought you two didn't believe in ghosts." Dennis asked smugly.  
  
"Yeah... well we always thought she was just crazy." Evy admitted with shame in her voice.  
  
"Well great!" Dennis mocked.  
  
"No... I'll get you the money, just... just don't, NO! No! Please!" Alex whaled, tears streaming down her face. "Please! Don't- Aahhhhh!!!!!" and with that final scream of pain, Alex passed out, falling unconsciously to the floor of the beach.  
  
"Is she okay?" Dennis asked, running over to her.  
  
"Its okay, it just drained her... she's weak." Evy said sadly, kneeling at her friend's side as Dennis joined her.  
  
"Where's the cube?" Serena whispered to Henry, he just pointed to the road where the forklift held the massive glass cage. "Tell the others to start getting ready."  
  
Dennis let out a moan as he grabbed his head in pain, Evy tried to comfort him as he rubbed his head, they both then removed the clear glasses from their pockets and put them on. The others around them followed, putting on the viewers, ready for the second ghost to attack, little did they no it would be nothing like the last.  
  
Dennis walked over to the dock, Evy followed him curiously. He peered into the ocean, he then began to look around in a paranoid fashion.  
  
"Where is he Dennis?" Cyrus asked in an impatient, yet eager tone.  
  
"Uh... what part exactly?" Dennis muttered as Cyrus walked to the edge of the dock.  
  
"What?" Evy questioned.  
  
A moment after she asked, Evelyn was hit with a vision, she caught a quick glimpse of a man chopped into pieces and wrapped in cellophane.  
  
"Oh... I see." She mumbled, walking away from the edge of the dock, closer to the shore.  
  
"I need his torso! Where is his torso!" Cyrus demanded.  
  
"Well, the good news is his arms are still attached to his body, the bad news is his head isn't!" Dennis told him.  
  
Dennis walked away from the dock, past Evy, towards the woods.  
  
"There." Dennis said, pointing to the woods. "He likes to... well, crawl, there."  
  
Cyrus put on the viewers, he nodded to the group of men in the clear jackets, the sound of Latin chanting echoed around the area out of the speakers. The forklift moved the glass prison closer to the woods, its doors flew open as the group awaited the second ghost. A few moments later the dismembered body crawled out of the woods, holding its head under one arm, using the other to scurry around.  
  
The torso entered the cube with almost no delay, except for the slight trouble it had maneuvering its way into the glass cage. The doors slammed shut as Cyrus laughed with enjoyment, the second ghost had been captured... Evy and Dennis just stayed at Alex' still unconscious side through the capturing. 


	10. Bound and Broken

When Alex came to she was surrounded by her best friend, Evelyn and the panicking Dennis Rafkin in a hotel room somewhere in New Jersey.  
  
"W-what happened?" the blonde asked the two that towered over her.  
  
"You blacked out, can you remember anything?" Evy asked her.  
  
"No, just that Cyrus guy beating up him." Alex said drowsily, pointing at Dennis.  
  
"Yeah, thanks." Dennis added.  
  
Evy sighed as she helped her friend up off the bed.  
  
"So, what now?" Alex asked the two.  
  
"Uh, they're shipping us off to some high school nearby tomorrow." Dennis said rubbing his eyes.  
  
"Great, can't wait!" Alex said sarcastically.  
  
"Oh, you won't be going." Evy said plainly.  
  
"What... what do ya mean, I wont be going?" Alex asked upset.  
  
"I told Cyrus that you needed to take a break from 'ghost hunting', okay!" Evy stated.  
  
"What? Why!" Alex asked.  
  
"Because, its true, you do need a break after today, besides, tomorrow isn't gonna be all that special anyway." Evy told her as she gathered up the two pairs of spectral viewers that were scattered on the bedside table.  
  
"Great, I'll wait here then." Alex said, glancing at the tired look on Dennis' pale face.  
  
The next morning Dennis sat in Alex' usual passenger seat of Evy's car. It was early in the afternoon, and was a little bit warmer outside than it had been the previous days.  
  
"So, how long have you and Alex known each other?" Dennis asked Evy, trying to break the awkward silence between them.  
  
"Since sixth grade."  
  
"Damn... that's a long time."  
  
"We went to this school for kids... well, like us. She used to copy off my test papers a lot, so one day we just decided to be friends, have been ever since." Evy said, focusing on the row of black vans ahead of them.  
  
"Oh." Dennis muttered, staring out the passenger side window.  
  
"Did you have any friends growing up? If you don't mind me asking."  
  
"Not really, never was much of a 'people person'."  
  
"Oh." Evy muttered, letting the subject drop.  
  
The black vans came to a halt in front of a high school, that was everyone's cue to exit their automobiles.  
  
"Springfield High School." Dennis read off the sign in front of the school.  
  
*  
  
*  
  
*  
  
Bound and Broken:  
  
(Narrator: Evelyn Chase)  
  
*  
  
So, this is where we can find the 'Bound Woman', or at least that's what Cyrus calls her. Serena said her name was Susan LeGrow and she was killed by her boyfriend, Chet Walters.  
  
The story supposedly goes that Susan was the richest girl in town, and being that she was a cheerleader she dated the star football player on the team, Chet. On the night of their Senior Prom, where Susan won the title of Prom Queen, Chet found her in another boy's arms, Billy Bob's to be exact. The next morning Billy Bob was found beaten to death, and Susan was missing... the police found her body two weeks later, buried under the football field.  
  
Poor Susan had had her hands bound behind her back with rope, and was strangled to death with her boyfriend's tie. When Chet was put on death row his last words were reportedly, "The bitch broke my heart, so I broke her neck!"  
  
*sigh*  
  
What some people will do... and now crazy Cyrus wants to capture her for his collection, poor Susan, I almost don't want to go through with this! But unfortunately, I need the money... guess its her or me, and she seems to be too far gone as it is. At least we'd be ridding the school of her violent ghost that reportedly keeps knocking male high school students off the third floor staircase.  
  
*  
  
*  
  
*  
  
"Here, put these on." Henry said to Dennis and Evy, handing them two ear- sets.  
  
"What are they?" Dennis asked.  
  
"They'll help us keep in touch, that way if this gets out of hand we'll be able to hear if anyone is hurt." Henry told them as they put on the small earpieces with a microphone on the end.  
  
They entered the school, Serena was talking to the principle, trying to get him to sign some insurance agreement.  
  
"See, sign right there-" Serena said, pointing to the dotted line, trying to convince the principle to sign.  
  
"But what is this all about?" he asked.  
  
"Oh, nothing... just incase someone falls down, gets beaten, stabbed, mutilated... so no one will be held responsible." She said, smiling at him.  
  
"Al-alright, I guess its okay." The principle muttered as he signed the document, not really worried about the well being of the after-school- program kids that were walking the halls, only caring for the sum of money Cyrus was bribing him with.  
  
"Wonderful Mr. Brody! Now, lets start working, shall we?" Cyrus uttered in joy.  
  
"Wait, what! There are kids in here!" Evy shrieked as her and Dennis walked down the main hallway, the handful of teenage students gathered around them, curious about what was going on.  
  
"Hey Cyrus! Can't we wait till later, like when the kids have gone home!" Dennis yelled to Cyrus at the other end of the hall.  
  
"No time Dennis, we must hurry!" the man yelled back.  
  
"Great, just great!" Dennis complained as two high school kids walked up to him and Evy.  
  
"Hey, what's going on?" the young platinum blonde girl asked, hanging onto her skinny boyfriend's waist.  
  
"Yeah man! What's with the hardware out back! The jocks gotta play on that field tomorrow!" the tall, skinny boy asked in a whinny voice, as the short blonde hung onto him casually.  
  
"I don't know... ask him!" Dennis said pointing to Cyrus.  
  
"I ain't asking grandpa over there anything... personally the guy creeps me out! And what's with the cane, man? Its creepy as hell!" the skinny boy whined to them.  
  
"God! Stu!" the blonde girl at his side fussed at him, "Stupidity leak!" she screamed, hitting her boyfriend on the forehead with the cherry sucker she was eating.  
  
"Ah! Babe quit!" the boy shrieked as Evy and Dennis walked away from them.  
  
"He's actually gonna make us catch this thing with these idiots wandering around!" Dennis asked, looking back at the teenage couple oddly.  
  
"Why do you have to be so negative all the time!?!" Evy asked sharply.  
  
"I don't know, I've had a lot of practice at it I guess." 


	11. Dire Sister

Author's Note:  
  
Just wondering... did anyone notice the high school couple that was supposedly "Stu" and "Tatum" from the movie Scream in the last chapter? Just wondering. I added it for a bit of humor, hope you all got it. :-) If you got it... you kick ass then! :-P  
  
*  
  
*  
  
*  
  
*********  
  
Dire Sister  
  
*********  
  
"Power up the cube!" Cyrus shouted, the chanting echoing around the campus.  
  
Evy was at Dennis' side as he was doubled over in pain after Cyrus made him touch the ground where Susan was buried.  
  
"Ah! Shit! Ya know I'm starting to get tired of doing this!" Dennis muttered to Evy as Cyrus and the others where busy trapping Susan's ghost.  
  
They heard the far off sound of some student's scream inside the school, the cube was set up at the north end of the football field, right by the bleachers.  
  
"We got her!" Henry yelled to the group as Evy and Dennis looked up and over at the cube, seeing Susan's bound and broken ghost beating itself against the inside of the sealed glass prison.  
  
Back at the hotel, Alex was alone watching TV when Evy arrived.  
  
Evy entered the room, Alex was on the bed, crying at the movie that was on the TV, City of Angles.  
  
"Hey." Evy said, hesitantly.  
  
"Look, Meg Ryan just died... god, this movie is so sad!" Alex uttered, sobbing.  
  
"Okay." Evy said aware, yet detached.  
  
"What?" Alex asked, whipping her eyes, concerned with the spacey look on Evy's face.  
  
"Huh, oh... nothing." Evy said, distracted with her thoughts as she snapped back to reality.  
  
Alex picked up the remote, shutting off the television, staring at Evelyn curiously.  
  
"God, you look like I just stabbed someone!" Evy said, seeing the look on Alex' face. "What?"  
  
"That was my question... 'What'."  
  
"I don't know what you're talking about." Evy said, walking away into the other room.  
  
"Uh-huh" Alex said to herself, knowing that something was up with Evy but letting it go... for now.  
  
*  
  
*  
  
*  
  
Thoughts:  
  
(Narrator: Dennis Rafkin)  
  
*  
  
How did I get myself into this mess?  
  
How could I have been this shallow, to help steal souls for money?  
  
Why am I so stupid and selfish?  
  
Why in the hell can't I stop thinking about Evy!?!  
  
*sigh*  
  
Maybe this will help! Even though I know it won't... but still.  
  
*swallows two painkillers*  
  
There... that helps.  
  
*  
  
*  
  
*  
  
Dennis sat in his room, alone, crouched on the floor in the corner... his favorite spot to sit in a room. He leaned his head against the wall, thinking about the same thing had been thinking about since earlier that day, Evelyn.  
  
Was she thinking about him? Maybe...  
  
Evelyn sat on the bed in her hotel room, Alex only one room away. She stared at the floor, almost in a dreamlike state, but what was she daydreaming about? Did she even know? She was supposed to be psychic right? Able to read people and predict the future with her 'visions', so how come she couldn't see what she really wanted? Why couldn't she see him?  
  
A knock came on Dennis' door, he got up off the floor, almost drowsy from the pills he had just taken.  
  
"Oh, its you." He said in a content tone as he saw Evelyn when he opened the door.  
  
"Yeah, its me." She said in the same tone of voice as she stared back him, smiling slightly.  
  
He smiled back at her, there was a moment of silence, awkward almost.  
  
"I... uh... just wanted to see if you were feeling okay, after today and all." Evy said, lying about the real reason she wanted to see him.  
  
"Yeah, I'm fine..." there was an awkward moment of silence between them.  
  
"Oh, well okay... guess I'll see ya tomorrow... bye." Evy said, dragging out her sentence as she walked away backwards, still facing him as she almost fell over the food trolley in the hall as she went to her room.  
  
Dennis sighed slightly, still smiling, and closed the door. 


	12. Withered

*******  
  
Withered  
  
*******  
  
Many days after capturing the Bound Woman, the group hadn't been able to figure out why it was taking so long to find the next ghost... little did they know it was due to one of their own's past impulses.  
  
Finally, after all that time, Serena and her sister had found what they had been searching for... the Withered Lover!  
  
"Pack it up everyone! We're flying to Ohio today!" Kalina shouted to them as they gathered in the large hotel room.  
  
"Ohio? Great." Alex sighed, walking back to her room drowsy from being woken so early in the morning.  
  
"Uh, Kalina, could I ask you something real quick?" Evy said, pushing her way through the group of workers who were flooding out the door to pack.  
  
"What?" Kalina spat in an annoyed voice.  
  
"Do you happen to have the other ghosts' locations mapped out ahead of schedule?"  
  
"Why do you ask?"  
  
"Well because it would save us a great deal of time, that's why." Evy stated.  
  
"Yes, we have the next nine already mapped out, all we have to do is catch them!" Kalina said in a rushed, yet excited voice.  
  
"Oh, okay." Evy said, walking back to her room to pack.  
  
The next day they were in Ohio, at yet another hotel awaiting the capture of the fourth ghost. Before they left that morning, Serena and Henry handed Evy, Alex, and Dennis each apiece of paper.  
  
"What's this?" Dennis asked.  
  
"It's the names and locations for the next eight ghosts, well nine including the one we'll catch today." Henry told them as he and Serena walked toward the black vans.  
  
The three looked at the paper thoroughly.  
  
"Billy Michaels, Pennsylvania  
  
Jimmy 'The Gambler' Gambino, New Jersey  
  
Susan LeGrow, New Jersey  
  
Lillian Martin, Ohio  
  
Royce Clayton, Ohio  
  
Dana Newman, New York  
  
Isabella Smith, Massachusetts  
  
Margaret and Harold Shelburne, Tennessee  
  
George Markley, Louisiana  
  
Ryan Kuhn, California  
  
And Horace 'The Breaker' Mahoney, Illinois" Dennis read aloud from the paper as he sat in the back seat of Evy's car.  
  
"That's them... how come they don't have any catchy nicknames like the others, Bound Woman... Torso...?" Alex asked, sitting in the passengers seat.  
  
"I have no idea." Dennis muttered, still focused on the paper. "The Breaker? What was he? Some kinda truck driver?" Dennis asked sarcastically.  
  
Evy and Alex shrugged their shoulders.  
  
The vans pulled up to the curb, there sat the remains of a burned down house.  
  
"Lillian Martin, divorced mother of three, perished in a house fire two weeks ago as she struggled to save her children!" Cyrus lectured to them.  
  
"Did the kids make it?" Evy asked suddenly.  
  
"Yes... I do believe they did..." Cyrus muttered, as he made sure the speakers were set up correctly around the area.  
  
It didn't take long, as soon as the chant was sounded the ghost of the burned mother arose from the rumble. The group watched sadly as the burned and smoldering victim quietly entered the cube with hardly any struggle.  
  
"Now! On to Royce Clayton!" Cyrus shouted, walking to his car.  
  
"Wait! We're gonna catch another ghost today?" Alex asked Cyrus, her and Evy trailing after him.  
  
"Yes, the Torn Prince is only a few miles away in Cleveland."  
  
"Well don't you know what today is?" Evy asked him.  
  
"Its Thursday!" Cyrus insisted.  
  
"Yeah... its Thanksgiving!" Alex demanded.  
  
Dennis stood by the house's ruins, putting his gloves back on.  
  
"So, what is your point Miss Ross?" Cyrus asked.  
  
"Can't we take the rest of the day off, and catch the fifth ghost tomorrow?"  
  
Cyrus sighed frustrated and in a hurry.  
  
"Fine, the rest of today... but that's it, be prepared to capture the fifth ghost tomorrow!" and with that Cyrus got in his car a drove away.  
  
While Evy and Alex cheered with joy, Dennis walked around the foundation of the house, he had a depressed look on his face. 


	13. A Happy Thanksgiving

Nothing:  
  
(Narrator: Dennis Rafkin)  
  
*  
  
I hate the holidays! Why shouldn't I?  
  
I mean I've never had a Thanksgiving with family... or at least not one I can remember. Or a Christmas around a tree, hell... I think the closest I've ever been to a Christmas tree was that pine tree I would sit under at that school!  
  
What do the holiday's mean to me?  
  
Nothing!  
  
*  
  
*  
  
*  
  
"Yes! We finally get to go out! And eat food that isn't room service!!!" Alex cheered as she danced around the foundation of the burned home, showing no remorse for what they had just done.  
  
Evelyn laughed slightly as she watched Alex spin around immaturely, but then she glanced at Dennis, and noticed the look on his face.  
  
"Dennis!" Evy shouted to him, getting his attention as he turned to face her. "Come on, we're gonna find some food that isn't room service." She said, gesturing for him to join them.  
  
"Okay" Dennis said, shrugging his shoulders as he stepped over the burnt rubble.  
  
At a Pizza Hut a few miles away, the three sat at a table together.  
  
"Well... this shows how good we are at navigation... the first restaurant we find on Thanksgiving, is a Pizza Hut." Evy said, sadly but sarcastically as Alex and Dennis laughed.  
  
"Hey, its better than nothing." Dennis reassured her.  
  
"Better than room service!" Alex shrieked.  
  
The three stayed at the restaurant for the rest of the day, laughing and conversing... for the first time in his life, Dennis was happy on Thanksgiving.  
  
When they got back to the hotel it was pitch black outside.  
  
"Bye." Alex shrieked to Dennis as she ran in her hotel room, Dennis just waved.  
  
"Well, I guess this is goodnight." Evy said politely, smiling at him.  
  
"Yeah, see ya tomorrow." Dennis muttered to her, smiling back shyly.  
  
"Bye." Evy then went into the hotel room, slowly shutting the door.  
  
Dennis walked back to his room, grinning as he thought about how he had actually enjoyed himself that day. Of course tomorrow it would be back to work, helping Cyrus gather the ghosts for his "Fine Collection" as he called it. Dennis, and the others were aware that Cyrus definitely had some issues, but at least the old man paid them. 


	14. Torn Knight

**********  
  
Torn Knight  
  
**********  
  
The cube was in position, the speakers were ready to sound the spells, there was just one problem... no ghost.  
  
"Where is he Dennis!" Cyrus demanded to know.  
  
"I don't know, he isn't here damnit!" Dennis said, hand on the ground, yet feeling nothing supernatural from the Valley High Baseball field.  
  
"Well do something! Find him now!" Cyrus screamed.  
  
"I know where he is." Evy whispered after seeing the vision of a horrific car crash, everyone turned towards her.  
  
"Where?"  
  
"At a cliff... the bottom of a cliff." Evy muttered, stunned from the sight of horror she had just seen.  
  
"Which cliff!" Cyrus scolded, Evy pointed at the cliff that was down the road from the high school.  
  
"Get the cube, tell them to follow us, we're going to the Cliffside.  
  
At the bottom of the cliff, the cube and speakers were set up, ready to capture the Torn Prince.  
  
"Aahhhhh!" Dennis whaled, falling to the ground as he stepped out of the car, holding his head in pain.  
  
"Ah, yes... this is the place!" Cyrus said triumphantly as he caught sight of Dennis' pain.  
  
Dennis hobbled to his feet, giving Cyrus a dirty look. He put the glasses on, and looked around, fortunately he wouldn't need to touch the ground where Royce Clayton had plummeted to his fiery end, unfortunately Royce was right in front of him, swinging his splintered bat furiously!  
  
"Ah! Goddamnit!!!" Dennis screamed, running for his life as the torn spirit gave chase.  
  
The others scurried around, trying to get the cube and spells ready, not even worried about Dennis' well being.  
  
"Dennis!!!" Evy screamed as she ran after him, trying to distract the angry ghost.  
  
Her distraction worked, Royce turned, swinging his bat in Evy's direction as he moved towards her.  
  
"Start transmitting!" was heard from afar.  
  
Evy ran towards the glass prison, glancing behind her shoulder as she ran. The ghost was gaining on her, then the Latin was heard, Evy ran to the cube, stopping in front of the open glass doors. The half torn teenage spirit swung the wooden bat at Evy, she ducked, he swung again, hitting her in the side with all his might.  
  
Evy screamed in pain as she fell to the cold ground, grabbing her left side.  
  
"No!" Both Alex and Dennis yelled.  
  
The Torn Prince raised his bat slowly as he stood over Evelyn's collapsed body, he aimed it at her head, he swung back, ready to strike...  
  
"No! Get away from her!" Dennis shrieked as he ran towards the ghost, waving a smoldering flare at it.  
  
The flare burned its pure light, which startled the vengeful spirit, the ghost disappeared from over Evy, and reappeared inside the glass prison... the inscribed doors slammed shut.  
  
Dennis dropped the flare and ran to Evy's side.  
  
"You okay?" he asked, sounding more concerned that he ever had before.  
  
"I think so." Evy mumbled, trying to sit up.  
  
Dennis waved his hands around her, wishing he could help her sit up, but he couldn't touch her.  
  
"Evy!" Alex screamed as she ran to her friend.  
  
"I'm okay, it just hurt like hell!"  
  
Cyrus walked over to them, looking like the devil himself, with an evil grin on his lips as he peered in at the ghost.  
  
The three went back to the hotel, Cyrus, Serena, Henry and Kalina stayed behind at the cliff.  
  
Dennis and Alex stayed with Evy, helping her with the pain.  
  
"Here, take one of these." Dennis said, handing her the white pill.  
  
"What is it?" Evy asked as the pill dropped into her hand.  
  
"It'll help with the pain. Trust me."  
  
Evy swallowed the pill, the pain left almost instantly.  
  
"Wow, those things really do work!" she muttered, feeling light headed as she laid back on the bed.  
  
Alex went into the other room, trying to find the phone number of a doctor that would make house calls to the hotel room.  
  
"Where did the flare come from?" Evy asked groggily.  
  
"Oh, Kalina gave it to me, she said it would scare him. She said it was a quicksilver flare." Dennis stated as he looked around the room, paranoid as usual.  
  
"Weird." Evy mumbled, then passed out. 


	15. How Bad Can It Be?

Blood:  
  
(Narrator: Evelyn Chase)  
  
*  
  
Blood, so red and dark it looked almost black as it flowed in one ebony stream across the cold, stiff dead grass. It met the dirt and became even thicker as it cascaded across the lawn onto the freezing concrete, which intensified its crimson hue against the harvest moonlight. The knife was covered in blood, the same blood that was now staining the pavement outside. The bathroom was dark, not a single light bulb in the fixtures above the ivory tub, but I could still hear the faded screams... screams that echoed for years...  
  
I awoke that morning, it was still dark outside, and for some reason I wasn't the only one in the room. My head was still unsteady from the nightmare which woke me, but I could still feel the presence of someone else, I glanced over to the chair by my bed, there was someone in it, asleep. At first I thought it might have been Alex, but then my eyes adjusted to the dark and I saw who it was... Dennis.  
  
I have to admit, it made me smile, to see him there... to see anyone there, just to know that someone cared whether I lived or died. It comforted me.  
  
*  
  
*  
  
*  
  
"Hey." Evy whispered, awaking Dennis.  
  
"Oh, hey." Dennis muttered, yawning. "What time is it?"  
  
"Five thirty."  
  
"How'd ya feel?" he asked.  
  
"Better, my side doesn't hurt that much, just aches a little."  
  
"Good, I'm glad you're okay." He whispered, the sound of worry dying down in his voice.  
  
"Thanks."  
  
The sun was up, and a new day had begun.  
  
"Come on! The plane isn't gonna wait forever ya know! Come on!" Kalina shouted to Alex and Evy as they rushed to get their bags into the car.  
  
A few hours later they were in New York, Evy and Alex were excited to be home.  
  
The vans pulled up to an apartment building not far from Manhattan. The moon shone down on them as they stepped out of the automobiles, ready to capture the sixth ghost.  
  
"Okay, everything is in place out back, but we got a slight problem." Henry told Evy, Alex and Dennis as he walked over to them.  
  
"What?" Alex asked.  
  
"The sixth spirit is inside... we need to get her out here." He told them.  
  
"How?" Evy asked.  
  
"Someone has to lure her." He said hesitantly.  
  
"Well isn't that what the spells are for?" Dennis asked.  
  
"Yes, but that only helps get them in the cube, not outside to where it is."  
  
"Great, well I guess I'll have to do it." Alex said in a pessimistic tone.  
  
"No! You cant, not by yourself!" Evy demanded.  
  
"Oh and what, you gonna help... you'll just get hurt again, I can't see that happen!" Alex told her. "Don't worry, I'll be fine, how bad can it be?"  
  
Evy looked at her apprehensively, worried for her best friend.  
  
"Fine, alright... just be careful!" Evelyn finally agreed nervously. 


	16. Suicide

******  
  
Suicide  
  
******  
  
The three entered the empty apartment slowly. They walked into the bathroom, glasses and clear jackets on, ready to collect the next ghost. They stared at the bathtub, Cyrus had told them Dana Newman's tragic story of how she had thrived for perfection all her sad life, and finally when she gave up on achieving it, slit her wrists in the bathtub. Of course he left out the part about mutilating herself first, and being equipped with the kitchen knife she had used.  
  
They looked around the bathroom... nothing unusual. Alex turned to walk away from the tub, just then the whole room seemed to flash... Alex looked down at the floor, it was no longer white, but covered in blood, and written on the floor in the same blood, were the words "I'm Sorry".  
  
The three gasped in horror at the sight of blood which covered the room, then they noticed what was sitting in the tub... the body of a young, blonde woman, gashed from head to toe, bathing in her own blood. She sat there, in her own world, not even noticing the three intruders, she just stared ahead, the same blank look on her pale drained face.  
  
"Oh, god!" Alex shuttered, holding her hand to her mouth, trying to catch her breath.  
  
The Angry Princess raised her head slowly, her eyes lined in running black eyeliner, her mouth smudged with red lipstick. She turned her head towards Alex, her eyes like dark pools, black bottomless pits.  
  
The three backed away slowly, trying to not disturb the grotesque beauty anymore than they already had. But it was too late, she was angry and ready for revenge... Dana raised the bloody kitchen knife, she sprang from the tub with almost no effort as she lunged towards Alex. They ran from the apartment, almost falling down the stairwell as they rushed to the outside door.  
  
Dennis swung open the door, almost hitting himself with it, Evy ran after him, jumping down the stairs, she got to the door when she stopped.  
  
"Wait! Where's Alex!!!" she screamed.  
  
Alex staggered down the steps, trying her best not to fall down them, she made it to the bottom step, then tripped. Alex fell face first, Evy ran to her, dragging her along to the door as she screamed madly.  
  
"Cyrus!!! Goddamnit! We got to get the hell outa here! NOW!!!" Dennis shouted as he ran for the cube, Evy and Alex trailing after him.  
  
Evelyn tripped over the concrete curb, dropping Alex as she fell backwards.  
  
"Aaaahhhhh!!!!" Alex screamed as she peered through the clear glasses at the naked mutilated blonde that was standing over her with a kitchen knife.  
  
Evy looked up at the ghost, she froze in fear. The ghost raised the knife above her head, then in a quick flash she thrust it into Alex' stomach!  
  
"Noooo!!!" Evy shrilled at the sight of her best friend being impaled by the vengeful spirit.  
  
"Oh god! No!" Dennis shuttered.  
  
The Angry Princess raised the blade again, she plunged the knife into Alex' chest, her drained emotionless face showing no remorse as she towered over the bleeding girl. Serena and Henry ran over to where the incident was occurring, Dennis staggered straight to the curb, trying to stop the ghost, even though he was already too late.  
  
Dana glanced at Evelyn's tear cover face, she then appeared over her, raising the knife over Evy, ready to strike again!  
  
"No!" Dennis screamed, diving over Evy as the ghost drove the blade into his side. "Aaaahhhhh!!!" he whaled in pain as the blood poured from his side.  
  
"Oh god, Dennis!" Evy said sobbing furiously as he collapsed next to her, unconscious.  
  
The spells were sounded, the ghost was soon after trapped. Serena and Henry ran to help the fallen trio, while Cyrus and Kalina distracted themselves with the imprisoned spirit.  
  
*  
  
*  
  
*  
  
Suicide:  
  
(Narrator: Dennis Rafkin)  
  
*  
  
Great! Just great! I've committed suicide!  
  
And Alex... oh god, poor Alex, I hope she's okay, I pray she's okay, I know I don't pray enough... but still, its gotta help, right?  
  
And Evelyn, I hope she's okay too, god, how could this happen, how could Cyrus just let this happen! Doesn't he have any compassion, isn't he a friend to anyone!?!  
  
Shit! Its times like these that I need a painkiller!  
  
*  
  
*  
  
*  
  
Dennis awoke, it was dark in the room, there was a dim light overhead, but it still took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the dark. He looked around, he was in a hospital room, and there was someone else there with him... it was Evelyn.  
  
"Hey." Dennis whispered groggily to the sleeping girl in the chair next to him.  
  
Evy woke suddenly.  
  
"Oh, hey." She said quietly, yawning slightly.  
  
"Are you okay?" he asked her.  
  
"That was supposed to be my question." She said sarcastically, trying to comfort him.  
  
Dennis stared into her eyes, those sapphire eyes, they had a sadness to them... which reminded him of someone from the past. The tears began to well up in her eyes as she looked at him.  
  
"What's wrong?" he asked confused and worried.  
  
"Alex... she... she didn't..."  
  
"Oh, god!" Dennis whaled, looking up at the ceiling in pain, pain from his sadness.  
  
Evy began to weep, she hung her head, her light auburn curls falling in her face, hiding her grief. Her hand slipped onto the bed, bumping Dennis', neither of the two realized that they were touching.  
  
"I..." Dennis stopped speaking, he looked down at his hand, Evy's rested on top of his... but there were no visions and no pain.  
  
Evelyn looked up from crying, her eyes wet and red, she noticed the look on his face, and followed his eyes to what he seemed to be fixated on.  
  
"How? What..." He asked confused, his head spinning.  
  
"Oh, I... I can't be linked, ya know, read by another psychic... I should have told you, I forgot!" she mumbled, hating herself for everything that had happened.  
  
"It's okay." He whispered, holding her hand to comfort her.  
  
It was the first time Dennis had been able to touch someone with out pain since he was little... which made him realize why Evelyn's eyes seemed so familiar.  
  
"This is gonna seem like a really stupid question, but humor me." He murmured.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Did you ever go to a school for the gifted in Maine?"  
  
"What?" she asked again, a little confused.  
  
"Nevermind, stupid question at a time like this."  
  
"No, no I did go to this school, when I was like six or seven, it was for kids like me, us, yes. I think, yeah, it was in Maine. Why?"  
  
He then knew who she was, Evelyn was the girl in the blue coat that was able to touch him when he was ten years old.  
  
"No, reason, just a thought I guess."  
  
Evy nodded.  
  
"Where are we, what day is it?" Dennis asked.  
  
"Oh, you're at a hospital in New York, you've been here for almost a week."  
  
"God! Everything's like a fog!" he said, rubbing his eyes.  
  
"You do know that you saved my life, right?" Evy asked nodding.  
  
Dennis turned his head, looking straight into her eyes.  
  
"Well what was I supposed to do, let you die?" Evy smiled slightly at his words. "I just wish I would have turned around sooner, been able to help Alex, God! I hate myself for not helping her!" he whaled with tears in her eyes.  
  
"No, god! It's not your fault, don't feel that way!" Evy cried, reaching over the hospital bed, holding him.  
  
Dennis hugged her back, they sat there for some time, just holding each other... what else was there to do at a time like that? 


	17. Condemned

Author's Note:  
  
Well, looks like I decided to write after all, I got kinda bored...  
  
If any of you actually read the earlier announcement, the offer to e-mail me, or just write your response in a review, still stands about the movie Spanish Judges... HAS ANYONE SEEN THIS MOVIE!?! Please let me know if you have... it's like a mix between Stu from Scream and Dennis from Thir13en Ghosts, I love it!  
  
So anyway, here's the next chapter... it's kinda short, I know, please don't yell at me about it... I am trying my best here! So... please read, review, and live long and prosper!!!  
  
*  
  
*  
  
*  
  
A few days later Dennis was released from the hospital... and there Serena was, ready to discuss the current matter.  
  
"Glad to see you're feeling better, but we got problems!" Serena told him and Evy.  
  
"What now?" Dennis whaled.  
  
"Well, Cyrus is on a war path now that he has no one to help him collect the last six ghosts." She fussed.  
  
"What?" he questioned, still dizzy from the hospital drugs.  
  
"I quit." Evy said in a proud manner, Dennis just looked at her. "And it turns out Cyrus' deal really was too good to be true."  
  
"How so?"  
  
"We only get the money after we capture all twelve ghosts, if we quit before the twelfth is collected... we don't see one dime of the money." Evelyn stated.  
  
"Where is this all written?" he asked, rubbing his head.  
  
"In the contract you signed." Serena said, aware of the deal all along.  
  
"And when exactly were you planning on telling us?"  
  
"It never came up..." Serena mumbled.  
  
"Great!"  
  
"Cyrus paid for Alex' funeral, it was the least he could do... even though it came no where near the amount she had earned." Evy whispered frustrated. "He refused to send the rest of the money to her family, so I quit."  
  
"Kalina quit as well, turns out she wasn't too comfortable with the whole 'capturing souls' and 'imprisoning human beings' scenario!" Serena commented.  
  
"Well I can't quit... I need the money too much." Dennis uttered, looking down ashamed, Evy just stared at the ground in front of the hospital sadly.  
  
*  
  
*  
  
*  
  
Condemned:  
  
(Narrator: Evelyn Chase)  
  
*  
  
He said he couldn't quit, but in his eyes I could tell he wanted to.  
  
That's another thing... his eyes, when I look at them I can't see one image of his life or past! Weird, maybe he's like me... soulless.  
  
*sigh*  
  
"Cyrus wanted me to take you to Massachusetts, the others are already there." Serena told Dennis, always thinking of herself. I just stood there, outside the patient-pickup, staring at the concrete ramp below.  
  
"Are you gonna stay here, in New York?" Dennis asked me, his voice was gloomy and sad, I felt terrible for saying yes to him at that moment.  
  
I looked up at him, his eyes were even more tragic than before, it broke my heart to stare at them.  
  
"Come 'ere..." he said, taking my hand and pulling me closer to the building, away from Serena. "I don't think..." he whispered, pausing, I could tell what he was about to say was hard for him to admit. "I don't think I can do this without you." He looked at me innocently, I closed my eyes, I just couldn't refuse him.  
  
"Okay, I'll go along, but just to help you, not Cyrus!" I demanded, he nodded in relief.  
  
I couldn't believe it... I just condemned myself again! And why? Because some guy I didn't even know asked me... asked me to... oh forget it! It doesn't matter! We're all going to hell anyway! What's the use of complaining about it!  
  
*  
  
*  
  
*  
  
"Guess who's back on the team." Serena said to Cyrus as she walked over to him.  
  
Cyrus looked over at the blue car and saw Evelyn. "I knew the money was too tempting for her." He said cleverly.  
  
"She didn't come back for the money." Serena stated.  
  
"Then what?" he asked confused, Serena just glanced back in Evy's direction, Cyrus followed her glance. "So I see... it might be easier than I thought..." Cyrus muttered as he stared at Dennis and Evy who were talking.  
  
"What might be easier?" Serena questioned puzzled.  
  
"Oh, nothing my dear..."  
  
"Did you know he can touch her?" Serena asked suddenly.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Yeah, Dennis..." she pointed towards him. "He can touch her without feeling pain or seeing visions of her past."  
  
"Interesting..."  
  
The cube was being set up a few feet away, Henry walked over to Evy and Dennis, handing them each a pair of the clear viewers.  
  
"So, who's on the list today?" Dennis asked Henry as he put on the glasses.  
  
"Isabella Smith, she was accused of witchcraft in 1675. They condemned her to a slow and painful death in the stocks." Henry lectured uneasily.  
  
"Sounds like fun." Dennis mumbled.  
  
Henry stumbled away towards the woods where Cyrus and Serena were speaking.  
  
"Here, ya want one of these?" Dennis whispered to Evelyn, holding out the pill bottle.  
  
"Yep." She uttered as he dropped one in her hand.  
  
"I don't got anything to drink... oh, okay, never mind." Dennis whined, watching Evy chew the white pill without needing anything to help her swallow it.  
  
Dennis quickly tossed one of the painkillers in his mouth before Cyrus walked over to them.  
  
"Ah, Ms. Chase, back so soon?" Cyrus tauntingly asked.  
  
"I didn't come back for you or your money..." she cussed.  
  
"So I see... speaking of which, Mr. Rafkin, so nice to see you are feeling better." Cyrus commented, Dennis only nodded. "Well if you don't mind, we need your help with capturing Miss Isabella Smith, please, follow me." Cyrus then walked towards the cube, Dennis glanced at Evelyn sadly, then followed him. 


	18. Great Sister

**********  
  
Great Sister  
  
**********  
  
Out of the woods she emerged, her blonde hair almost white from sun exposure, her skin wrinkled and dry... and her eyes, so pale... yet they saw everything. Her neck and hands were still bound in the wooden stocks that brought her to her end, she ran towards the glass cube as the Latin spells called her forward. She leapt inside, her dress still covered in cobwebs as she ran around the inside of the glass prison frantically, beating the wooden brace against the clear walls.  
  
"Well, another job well done!" Cyrus congratulated, the Pilgrimess just stared back at him in anger.  
  
"Yeah, great." Dennis whispered as he walked back to the blue car, his head throbbing.  
  
*  
  
*  
  
*  
  
Denial:  
  
(Narrator: Dennis Rafkin)  
  
*  
  
I hate feeling used, especially when I am.  
  
Why did I have to be born like this? What did god have to gain by making me a freak? Its moments like these I wish I wasn't even born!  
  
Maybe after this is all over I can buy a normal life... or at least try to live one.  
  
God! Maybe I'm just in denial of it all...  
  
Then again, if I wasn't, I probably would have went through with hanging myself years ago... instead of chickening out like the coward I am!  
  
*sigh*  
  
Great, now I'm starting to feel sorry for myself...  
  
*  
  
*  
  
*  
  
Dennis sat in the passengers seat as Evy drove... only this time they weren't going to any hotel, they were going to the airport.  
  
As he stared out the window of the blue car, Dennis began to feel bad about Alex' death.  
  
"I'm sorry." He whispered to Evelyn, looking down at the road as it flew beneath him.  
  
"What?" she muttered, glancing over at him.  
  
"About everything... none of this should have happened to you, or Alex." He said sadly.  
  
"But what, it should have happened to you?" she asked.  
  
"I don't know anymore."  
  
"Don't think like that." Evy whispered, pulling up to the airport.  
  
They got on the plane to Tennessee...  
  
Hours later they were driving again, the sun was beginning to rise, slowly the black vans pulled over at a field. 


	19. Rats

****  
  
Rats  
  
****  
  
The field was large, covered in dead overgrown grass and weeds. Not even the morning dew could soften the stiff dry twigs of the dying grass.  
  
They got out of the cars, as they stepped into the field the grass came to their knees. It was like walking trough huge bundles of hay as they moved towards the center of the field, where the glass cube had already been positioned.  
  
Dennis whaled in pain as he stepped up to the glass prison, the flashing images of people being hacked to bits by a swinging axe were worse than the pain they brought to his skull.  
  
"What is it?" Cyrus eagerly asked him.  
  
"You don't want to know!" he mumbled.  
  
Evy turned around slowly, she slid on the viewers, then the others heard the sound of screaming and turned in the direction of where the speakers were being set up.  
  
Dennis put on the viewers, he saw the large man dressed as an infant swinging his bloody axe at the workers Cyrus had hired to set things up.  
  
"Oh shit!" he screamed as the axe cut into one of the men.  
  
Evy just stood by the cube, frozen in fear.  
  
"Come on!" Dennis yelled, grabbing her hand, she quickly snapped back to reality.  
  
Evy and Dennis ran away from the cube towards the cars, they then came to a dead halt. They both stared down at the ground, their eyes wide from the sight of the small woman dressed in doll clothes before them. She then disappeared from in front of them, but when they turned around she was standing behind them, accompanied by her 300-pound son and his bloody axe.  
  
"Shhh... back up slowly." Dennis whispered, creeping backwards.  
  
Evy remained silent as she slowly walked backwards away from the ghosts, Dennis moved in front of her, trying his best to guard her from the vengeful spirits.  
  
"Transmit the spells!!!" Cyrus called to Henry who staggered over the cut up bodies nervously and flipped the switch.  
  
The familiar sound called to the Great Child and Dire Mother, they slowly turned, disappearing in a flash.  
  
"Oh shit." Dennis sighed, letting out a huge breath as he almost collapsed on top of Evy in relief.  
  
The two tortured souls appeared inside the glass prison just as Henry flipped the switch, locking them inside.  
  
The black vans pulled up to a hotel in Memphis about a half an hour later. The group, or what was left of it after meeting Harold and Margaret Shelburne, gathered in the main lobby.  
  
"Okay, we got a little problem... " Serena told them as she walked away from the main desk towards them.  
  
"Great, now what?" Evy mumbled.  
  
"Well, since you quit when Cyrus booked the rooms here... only two were reserved." Serena said in a conceded manner.  
  
"Ahhh... great!" Dennis said yawning, as he held his head in his hands.  
  
"Well, I'll just have to pay my way." Evy said, walking to the main desk.  
  
"Hello, and welcome to the Memphis Marriott East, how my I help you?" the young blonde at the desk babbled.  
  
"Yes, I'd like a room for tonight." Evelyn told her.  
  
"Ok, single room... that will be a total of $129.95 please." The girl said.  
  
Evy emptied her pockets, she only had a total of thirty-three dollars, and fifteen cents.  
  
"I don't think my life can get any worse!" she whaled as she slightly beat her forehead against the desk.  
  
"Uh, miss, if you can't pay, I'll have to ask you to..." the girl began to say.  
  
"I mean my best friend gets impaled by this girl whose body closely resembles chop suey! Then I nearly get hacked to bits by the sideshow! Now I don't even have a bed to sleep in!!!" Evelyn began to yell, Dennis just sat in the lobby chair, rubbing his temples as he watched her have a nervous break down.  
  
"Evelyn! What in the bloody hell are you doing!" Henry complained as he walked over to her, trying to stop her from making a scene. "If you don't stop Cyrus will-"  
  
"Fuck Cyrus Kriticos!" she screamed frantically, Dennis sprang up, when he saw the look on Serena's face.  
  
"Evy, no, Evy... calm down!" Dennis rambled as he grabbed her hands, trying to stop her from waving them around madly. "You can have my room, I'll just stay down here or in the car, we'll think of something!"  
  
"Aahhhhh!!!!!" she yelled in irritation.  
  
They walked back to the lobby as Dennis finally got her to calm down.  
  
"Sorry... tension break... it had to happen." Evy muttered as she sat down in the chair.  
  
"Its fine, you can have my room, I'll find somewhere else to stay the night." He sighed.  
  
"No! It's my fault! I'm not even supposed to be here, I'll stay in the car." Evelyn whined.  
  
"No! I'll sleep in the car!"  
  
The two argued lightly, back and forth until Serena finally became annoyed.  
  
"Hey! I have an idea! How bout you both stay in the room?" Serena enticingly suggested.  
  
"Uh, okay..." Evy shuttered.  
  
"I guess I could sleep on the couch..." Dennis whispered.  
  
"I don't think these rooms have couches." Serena teased.  
  
"Fine! I'll sleep on the floor!" Dennis said, agitated, waving his hands at her. 


	20. Soulless

"God! I hate these things!" Evy shouted in frustration as she struggled to put the plastic key card in the door and open it at the same time.  
  
"Here, let me do it." Dennis offered, Evy handed the card over to him. "Ahh! Shit!" he screamed as he was shocked by the metal door handle. "I hate when that happens!"  
  
"Its energy." Evy mumbled as she rubbed her eyes.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Energy, we get shocked more than normal people because we harbor too much energy... it's a curse!" she muttered in a depressed tone.  
  
"Oh, and all this time I just figure I was a lightning rod or something." Dennis said, opening the door with ease.  
  
"I am so depressed right now I could..." Evelyn murmured as she ransacked the small refrigerator.  
  
"You could what?" Dennis asked concerned as he sat down in the chair by the bed.  
  
"I don't know." She whispered, almost in tears. "Ah-hah!" she uttered in success, pulling the small bottles of alcohol out of the fridge.  
  
"Yeah... now that's just what you need... to get drunk and disoriented at a time like this!" Dennis sarcastically implied.  
  
"Well... I guess you're just gonna have to join me then!" Evy said, trying to lift their spirits as she tossed him one of the bottles.  
  
15 minutes later...  
  
Evy collapsed on the large bed as she tried to stop laughing. Dennis continued to sit in the chair by the bed.  
  
"I mean does he use the cane? Or just have it to smack small children with?" Dennis said laughing, Evy giggled hysterically.  
  
"He needs to shove it up Serena's ass..." Evy mumbled through her laughter, Dennis almost fell on the floor.  
  
"Damnit!" he shrieked.  
  
"What now?"  
  
"We're out of booze!" He said, throwing the empty bottle across the carpet.  
  
"That's why they invented room service!" she said, picking up the phone.  
  
"Room Service." The small male voice echoed through the hotel door, Evy opened it.  
  
"Great!" she sighed, taking the large bottle of alcohol from the man, shutting the door almost in his face.  
  
"I need to get a better job!" the man said, walking down the hall away from their room in frustration.  
  
They finished half of the bottle in almost no time, not even realizing how much they had drank already.  
  
The television in the other room was on, yet no one was watching it. The London Symphony Orchestra played on the channel as Evelyn and Dennis laid on the bed in the next room, babbling to each other in a drunken stupor.  
  
They laughed back and forth, not even knowing what the conversation was about as they laid next to each other, staring at the bare ceiling. Suddenly the laughing stopped, the silence was almost awkward.  
  
"Do you believe in heaven?" Evelyn asked him out of nowhere as she looked up at the ceiling.  
  
"Do I believe in heaven?" he asked back.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"I don't know... sure, why not! I believe in ghosts, don't I?" Dennis uttered.  
  
"I hope Alex is there." Evy whispered innocently.  
  
"Ya know what I was doing the day Cyrus called me?" he mumbled.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Trying to hang myself."  
  
"What!" Evy asked confused.  
  
"I had tried to a hundred times before, never was brave enough to go through with it. Then, at that moment I finally found the courage to go through with it!" he told her obliviously.  
  
"What happened?"  
  
"The land lady knocked on the door." He said, taking a drink from the almost empty liquor bottle.  
  
"And you answered it?" she asked, sitting up halfway next to him.  
  
"Well I figured, why not see who it is..." he said laughing slightly. "Then Cyrus called... changed everything." He whispered.  
  
"Really." She muttered, lying back down beside him. "We're soulless, ya know."  
  
"Huh?" he uttered in confusion.  
  
"You, and me. We can't be read... so I guess we have no souls to link to."  
  
"Sounds about right."  
  
Evy began to giggle, which slowly turned into hysterical laughter, her laughter then slowly morphed into tears and outright sobbing. Dennis looked over at her, he felt pity for her, but at the same time he knew how she felt.  
  
"Shhh... its okay." He whispered, reaching over and holding her close.  
  
As he held her, she slowly stopped crying. Evy stared up into his eyes... for the first time she could look into someone's eyes without seeing their entire life flash into her mind, she treasured the moment. Dennis leaned over her, touching her face lightly... he kissed her softly.  
  
He leaned back, looking down at her, she stared back at him dazed... she quietly said the first thing that came to her mind...  
  
"The London Symphony Orchestra is in my head..." Evy muttered incoherently, then she passed out in his arms.  
  
Dennis laughed slightly, then he watched her sleep for a while before passing out himself. The empty liquor bottle rolled across the carpeted hotel room floor as the music on the television continued to echo into the bedroom as they slept in each other's arms. 


	21. Hammer Of Fire

Author's Note:  
  
Hey everybody!  
  
Thanks for reading. It has come to my attention that I have not previously supported my story with a disclaimer... so here it is!  
  
I do not own the rights to anything involving or in reference to the movie Thir13en Ghosts or any other Dark Castle Entertainment film for that matter. So please, do not sue me! Any characters that are not in relation to Dark Castle are purely my own creation, and I probably don't own them either... so back off or I'll cut you in half like the lawyer!!!  
  
So anyway... back to the story... I know it kinda sucks lately, but colds aren't that good for inspiration!  
  
P.S. lillardchica, thanks for thinking about hitting Cyrus with the Dire Mother's shoe! He so disserves it!!!  
  
So thanks for reading and reviewing everyone!!!  
  
*Passes out from drinking too much Nyquil*  
  
*  
  
*  
  
*  
  
The phone next to the bed rang for what seemed like an eternity. Finally Dennis rolled over and picked up the receiver.  
  
"Hello?" he groggily mumbled into the phone with his eyes closed.  
  
"Hello, room 210? This is a requested wake up call from a Mr. Kriticos." The voice on the other line babbled.  
  
"Huh? Oh, great... I'm up." He mumbled, hanging the phone up without even looking.  
  
He rolled over in the opposite direction, flopping his arm around Evy as he went back to sleep. Then suddenly, they both opened their eyes at the same time in shock, slowly they glanced at each other, a look of fright came over their faces. They shot up out of bed, staring at each other awkwardly.  
  
"I... uh... "Dennis began to say. "Did we... uh?"  
  
"I don't remember!" Evy shouted in confusion, running to the bathroom as fast as she could, slamming the door behind her.  
  
Dennis just stood in the same spot by the bed, dazed as he tried to remember what happened the night before.  
  
After finding his shoes, Dennis decided to give Evelyn some time to herself. He opened the door to the room and stepped out, just his luck that Serena was standing in front of him.  
  
"Rough night?" she commented as she looked him over, he was wearing the same black pants from the day before and a wrinkled white undershirt.  
  
"Rough life!" he said in a cocky tone as he gave her a dirty look.  
  
"Oh, there you are, we were just about to wake you." Henry said politely as he walked towards them.  
  
"I think he was already up..." Serena sarcastically noted, trying her best not to laugh.  
  
Dennis gave her another dirty look, then walked away from them towards the elevators. Suddenly, the door to room 210 opened, Evelyn stepped out, wearing a terrycloth robe from the hotel, her curly hair was dripping water on the hallway carpeting.  
  
"Where's Dennis?" she asked Serena and Henry eagerly.  
  
"Uh..." Serena muttered, pointing to him down the hall.  
  
Evelyn took off running towards him.  
  
"Dennis, wait!" she yelled to him, he stopped and turned around to face her.  
  
"What?" he mumbled confused.  
  
"I lied... I do remember last night." She then leaned into him, standing on her toes as she kissed him on the lips.  
  
Serena and Henry just stood in the hallway, stupefied at the sight of them kissing.  
  
Evelyn stepped back, releasing him as she stared up at him.  
  
"Uh... okay." Dennis whispered, more confused than he ever was before.  
  
Evy nodded, then walked back to the room, slamming the door in Serena's face.  
  
*  
  
*  
  
*  
  
*************  
  
Hammer Of Fire  
  
*************  
  
"Cyrus! This is unethical! You can not capture souls as if they were merely objects!" the man in his early thirties hissed at Cyrus as Evelyn and Dennis approached them.  
  
They were at the plantation field of an old bayou mansion in New Orleans, the sun was setting and Cyrus' workers were beginning to become frightened, especially after what happened with the last two ghosts.  
  
"Please Damon, I don't have time for your ramblings!" Cyrus fussed to the man.  
  
"Hey, what now?" Evy asked Cyrus as she walked towards him, Dennis just looked around the area, paranoid as usual.  
  
"Damon here has informed me that what we are doing is morally wrong." Cyrus stated.  
  
"Everything you do is morally wrong Cyrus!" The familiar female voice said from behind them, it was Kalina.  
  
"Ah! Kalina, switching sides I see." Cyrus scoffed, Kalina gave him an evil grin.  
  
"What's going on?" Evy asked.  
  
"Cyrus is trying to collect the twelve earthbound spirits!" Damon said angrily, Evy just stood there confused. "How could you assist him?" he questioned, walking closer to Dennis.  
  
"Ah, don't touch me!" Dennis tried to say as nonchalant as possible as he eased back away from Damon.  
  
"Look, its none of your business why we assist him!" Evelyn sneered at him.  
  
"Fine, have fun being the right hand to the devil!" Damon fussed as he stammered away to his car, Kalina followed him.  
  
"What was that all about?" Dennis asked in confusion.  
  
"I don't have time for this!" Cyrus protested.  
  
Evy caught a flash of something gruesome, then attracted her attention to the tree stump a few feet away.  
  
"What is it?" Dennis wondered as he saw the look on her face.  
  
"You really don't want to know!" she mumbled, walking away from the stump.  
  
"Power up the cube!" Cyrus called to the others, Dennis and Evy then put on the spectral viewers.  
  
"Ahh!" Dennis moaned as he fell to the ground, Evy kneeled next to him worried.  
  
Dennis looked up slowly, peering through the clear viewers he saw the spirit of the Hammer... his large body nailed with railroad spikes and his blacksmith hammer welded to his arm.  
  
"Oh boy..." Dennis muttered in fear.  
  
The Latin began to chant, the angered spirit turned facing the cube... he charged towards the glass prison, swinging his hammer as he ran into the containment cube, the spell engraved glass doors slammed shut.  
  
Dennis and Evy walked over to the cube, the Hammer continued to beat the walls in hope of escaping... but the barrier spells were too strong. Dennis peered into the cube, just was he put his face to the glass the ghost pounded the hammer at him.  
  
"Aahhhhh!!!" Dennis screamed, jumping backwards, Evy jerked back in tension.  
  
"Well, another job well done." Cyrus sadistically noted as he laughed slightly at their high-strung behavior.  
  
Dennis and Evelyn just looked at him astonished. 


	22. Jackal

That Moment:  
  
(Narrator: Evelyn Chase)  
  
*  
  
I stared out the small window of the plane as we flew over the land... for a moment I was peaceful. My mind wandered, through the trees and fields, through the rivers and lakes... I don't even remember what it was that it wandered to, just that I was gone for a while.  
  
I was slowly brought back to reality when I felt something touch my arm, I looked over and smiled when I saw Dennis' head resting on my shoulder... he was out cold.  
  
I think it was at that moment, as I watched him sleep, that I knew that somewhere... deep down, I loved him. I had never loved someone as I loved him... and I wasn't even aware of how much I did love him yet.  
  
*  
  
*  
  
*  
  
Dennis slowly awoke, realizing his head was rested on Evy's shoulder, he smiled at her.  
  
"Are we in Cali yet?" he asked her yawning.  
  
"Almost I think." She replied, glancing out the window. "Can you believe its almost Christmas?"  
  
"I can't believe I've been doing this job for almost two months... that's too long for me. I've never kept a job more than a week in my life!" he whispered.  
  
"Ya know I heard Serena say that Cyrus originally thought it would take around seven months to trap the twelve ghosts." Evy muttered.  
  
"And here we did it in only two..." Dennis said, leaning his head back as he thought.  
  
"Guess we make a good team." Evy mumbled, Dennis looked over at her.  
  
*  
  
*  
  
*  
  
*****  
  
Jackal  
  
*****  
  
They left the airport and headed for the Los Angeles coast. The black vans pulled up to the ruins of an old hollowed out building, the broken sign that rested nearby read 'Borehamwood Asylum'.  
  
"Where are we?" Dennis asked.  
  
"I don't know, but I got a real bad feeling about this place..." Evy muttered as she walked around the rubble.  
  
"Borehamwood Asylum, in its time was one of the largest asylums in California, next to the Vannacutt Psychiatric Institute for the Criminally Insane. But like its counterpart, Borehamwood had a few nasty secrets of its own before it perished in flames... Ryan Kuhn was one of its worse." Cyrus preached to them.  
  
Evelyn, Dennis, Serena, and Henry were all wearing the clear jackets and viewers, ready to trap the eleventh ghost. The cube was being set up by the gutted building's remains, the sun was setting and the shadows of the asylum were haunting to onlookers.  
  
"Start transmitting!" Cyrus shouted to the workers who were setting up the speakers.  
  
"Oh great, my favorite sound of the day..." Dennis sarcastically commented on the sound of the Latin spells being played.  
  
Henry and Serena walked towards the building slowly, Dennis and Evy stood as far away from the ruins as they could.  
  
"Well, what are you waiting for?" Cyrus asked Dennis and Evelyn angrily. "Get over there and do your jobs!" he fussed, pointing at the asylum, Evy and Dennis followed Henry unwillingly.  
  
A few feet from the asylum, Dennis was struck with pain, he almost fell to the ground as he managed to stay on his feet, holding his head as he moaned. Slowly Dennis looked up and saw the terror that was the Jackal standing by the entrance of the hollow building, he had a huge metal cage rusted to his wild head as he clawed at his straightjacket, then, suddenly he caught sight of Serena...  
  
The dead beast's spirit growled at the brunette, Serena backed away slowly, the Jackal roared at her, baring its sharp, chipped yellow teeth as it lunged towards her. Ryan clawed at her as she ran, his exposed, sharpened nails trying to rip her in two as he chased her insanely. Serena screamed as the beast tore at her back madly, the blood dripping down her jacket as she struggled towards the cube.  
  
Henry charged at the Jackal, trying to get his attention... it worked. The crazed spirit turned and began to run after him, howling as he leapt onto the man, clawing at his back the same way he had Serena's. Henry sprang up in pain, he hobbled to the glass prison as the ghost ripped at him furiously. Dennis and Evy ran to Serena, Evelyn knelt down trying to help her up, Dennis ran to help Henry... but it was too late...  
  
Henry collapsed inside the containment cube, the Jackal continued to claw at him. Dennis ran to the cube, just as he was about to run inside it to stop the creature, the glass doors slammed shut, almost slicing Dennis' fingers off.  
  
"What, no!!! Open the goddamn doors!!!" Dennis screamed frantically as he beat against the outside of the glass walls, watching as the Jackal tore at Henry's lifeless body inside the cube.  
  
Serena limped over to the cube, her crying became hysterical as she joined Dennis in beating on the glass walls of the prison. Evelyn looked around in shock, trying to find who it was that shut the doors... she then noticed Cyrus, who had knocked the stunned worker away from the switches... he was the one that closed the doors, locking Henry inside with the Jackal to die. 


	23. Premonition

Serena went to England for Henry's funeral, she would not be returning to the states anytime soon... she quit. Dennis and Evelyn sat in the hotel room in Chicago, where Cyrus had flown them to capture the final ghost.  
  
Evelyn sat by the window, staring out at the city as Dennis sat by the bed, staring at the floor in a daze.  
  
"He said we were going to capture him tomorrow?" Evy asked Dennis.  
  
"Yeah, tomorrow night, he said he'd pick us up at nine." Dennis responded, rubbing his eyes.  
  
"You mean the sadistic bastard is actually going to drive us in his car?"  
  
"I guess." He mumbled, standing up to stretch.  
  
*  
  
*  
  
*  
  
Evy and Dennis laid in the bed next to each other asleep, it was two in the morning.  
  
Evelyn heard the screams, they were Dennis', she saw the blood on the broken viewers that fell to the glass floor in pieces, she then saw the fear on his face. The tall monster that was the Juggernaut towered over Dennis' broken body, the blood pouring from his mouth as the life left his tattered figure.  
  
Evelyn awoke suddenly, the sweat dripping down her face as she shrieked with fright. Dennis awoke beside her, he jumped up to help.  
  
"What happened, you okay?" he asked concerned.  
  
"I'm okay... it was a dream..." Evy gasped unsure as she looked around the dark hotel room, she then wrapped her arms around Dennis, relieved that he was all right.  
  
Evelyn was happy that it was only a dream, but at the same time she was worried... she knew what dreams like that meant, she had had the same type of dreams before her parents' deaths, even Alex'. She knew that it was more than a hallucination of her subconscious, it was a warning... a foreshadowing of what was to happen... if the twelfth ghost was captured, Dennis was going to die.  
  
"Calm down... what do you mean I can't go tonight?" Dennis asked Evelyn, as she walked around in circles nervously.  
  
"What did I just say? You can't trap the twelfth ghost tonight!" she demanded, biting her nails.  
  
"Okay, mother. And why can't I?" he asked her sarcastically, Evy became infuriated.  
  
"This isn't a joke, Dennis... if you catch this ghost..." she trailed off.  
  
"What?" he questioned sincerely, taking her hands so she would stop biting at them.  
  
"You'll die." She whispered sadly, he just looked at her blankly.  
  
"And you're positive that your dream will come true?"  
  
"Well they have before, like the night before Alex died, I had this dream..." Dennis cut her off before she could finish the sentence.  
  
"You knew she was going to die?" he asked confused.  
  
"No, not exactly... but I saw blood, and there certainly was a lot of blood!" she babbled nervously.  
  
"Still..."  
  
"Why are you so eager to die!?!" she shouted at him in frustration.  
  
"I'm not!" he yelled back. "Its just that I need the money too bad to... to..." he trailed off as he looked down at the floor, ashamed of what he was thinking.  
  
"To take a chance on me just being delusional." She said hurt yet aware.  
  
Dennis looked up at her, staring into her eyes sadly, Evy just nodded... then looked away from him.  
  
"I can't believe that you don't trust me..." she said with emotion in her voice as she tried to hold back the tears.  
  
"No! Its not that-" Dennis began to say before she cut him off.  
  
"Don't! I get it." She said, the tears now streaming down her face. "I quit." She whispered, and with that she walked out of the hotel room.  
  
"God..." Dennis mumbled as he held his head, trying not to cry.  
  
*  
  
*  
  
*  
  
Evelyn knocked on the hotel room door on the next floor, after a few minutes it finally opened, Cyrus stood in the doorway.  
  
"Miss Chase, what can I do for you?" he asked.  
  
"I just came to tell you that... I quit. Sorry, I can't do this anymore." She said in a depressed tone.  
  
"But you are only one ghost away from-" he began to say.  
  
"I know, I just can't..." she muttered sadly. "Please, just make sure Dennis gets his money... he needs it more than I do." Evy then walked away from him, she began to sob as she had her back turned, she was too mad at Cyrus to let him see her cry.  
  
A few hours later a knock came on Dennis' hotel room door, he ran to the door, hoping it was Evelyn. Dennis opened the door, Evelyn stood before him, but she wasn't there to make up.  
  
"I just came to get my bag." She said as emotionless as she could.  
  
"What?" he asked sad and confused.  
  
"I'm leaving, hadn't you figured that?" she said as she walked in the room, going straight for her luggage by the bed.  
  
"But... why?" he muttered upset.  
  
"Why? You're gonna willingly give your life for money!" she spat at him.  
  
"Yeah, well you and Alex seemed very forthcoming to risk your lives for money when I first met you!" Dennis cussed at her, regretting what he said two seconds later.  
  
Evelyn stared at him astonished as the tears welled up in her eyes, Dennis sighed, wishing he could take it back.  
  
"I cashed in all my policies and funds, plus sold some jewelry for a plane ticket to New York... even though I no longer have an apartment!" she said cruelly to him. "So you make up your mind... the plane leaves at nine thirty, if you can't get your shit together by then, I'm gone... for good." Evelyn then grabbed her luggage and walked away, slamming the door behind her as she left.  
  
Dennis just stood in the same spot, to confused and hurt to do anything.  
  
*  
  
*  
  
*  
  
(Music In: Sara McLachlan, I Love You)  
  
(I have a smile  
  
stretched from ear to ear  
  
to see you walking down the road)  
  
The clock read 9 o'clock, Dennis was in the lobby of the hotel, awaiting Cyrus to lead him to his supposed death. He was dressed in the best clothes he owned, a black suit with a red shirt underneath, he figured if he was going to die... why not dress for the occasion? He was slouched in the lobby chair, rapping his fingers nervously on the armrest, then Cyrus walked up to him.  
  
(We meet at the lights  
  
I stare for a while  
  
the world around us disappears)  
  
"Well Mr. Rafkin, are you ready?" Cyrus asked him.  
  
"Does it matter?" he asked smartly as he got up from the chair, Cyrus just glared at him.  
  
Dennis followed Cyrus to the parking lot, Cyrus got into the back seat of the expensive black car, Dennis looked back at the hotel, he stared at it one last time before getting into the back seat with Cyrus and shutting the door.  
  
(It's just you and me  
  
on this island of hope  
  
a breath between us could be miles)  
  
Evelyn sat in the chair at the O'Hare International Airport lobby. She stared at the clock, minute-by-minute she awaited something she knew would not happen... it just wasn't meant to be.  
  
(Let me surround you  
  
my sea to your shore  
  
let me be the calm you seek)  
  
Dennis sat in the back seat of the car, staring out the window in a daze, then he would look down at his watch, every ten seconds, as if he was late for something, or awaiting something important to happen. He looked down at his watch, it read 9:23, they had been driving for twenty-three minutes, and he still couldn't believe he had waited that long before he did what he should have done earlier that day.  
  
"Stop the car." he said suddenly.  
  
"What?" the driver asked him confused.  
  
"You heard me! Stop the fucking car, NOW!" he demanded.  
  
"What do you think you are doing?" Cyrus questioned.  
  
"I quit! Find someone else to die for you!" Dennis spat as he opened the door on the now stopped vehicle and stepped out.  
  
(Oh and every time I'm close to you  
  
there's too much I can't say  
  
and you just walk away)  
  
Dennis looked around the open highway, how was he going to get to the airport, he had no money, and no car? Suddenly a cab drove down the road, Dennis jumped in front of the speeding car, almost without thinking. The driver hit the breaks, the cab stopped just in the nick of time.  
  
"Hey buddy, what are you crazy!?!" the cab driver yelled at Dennis as he ran to the driver's side window.  
  
"Look, I need to get to the airport, its an emergency!" he shrieked.  
  
"Get in." the driver said reluctantly, Dennis ran to the back of the car and hopped inside.  
  
(And I forgot  
  
to tell you  
  
I love you  
  
and the night's  
  
too long  
  
and cold here  
  
without you  
  
I grieve in my condition  
  
for I cannot find the words to say I need you so)  
  
"Flight 103 to New York now boarding." Blasted over the loudspeaker at the airport.  
  
Evelyn grabbed her bag and stood up, she looked up at the clock, it now read nine thirty, then she looked at the doorway of the exit... he wasn't there. She slowly made her way to the boarding ramp, she still had hope... 'Men are never on time anyway, right?' she thought as she crept from her seat, stalling for time the best she could without admitting it to herself.  
  
"Can you go any faster?" Dennis eagerly asked the cab driver.  
  
"Look pal, I'm going as fast as I can!" the driver fussed.  
  
The cab pulled up to the airport, Dennis leapt out of the car and ran straight to the doors as the driver yelled at him to pay.  
  
(Oh and every time I'm close to you  
  
there's too much I can't say  
  
and you just walk away)  
  
Evelyn got to the ramp, the flight attendant reached her hand out to take the ticket from her, Evy turned around and looked at the doors one last time... then reluctantly handed over her ticket.  
  
Dennis charged through the airport, rushing through the lobbies in search of Evelyn. He ran through the doors, pausing as he went through them to catch his breath.  
  
Evelyn walked down the boarding ramp to the plane, then for some reason she stopped...  
  
Dennis ran to the boarding ramp, he was stopped by the flight attendant.  
  
"Is this plane going to New York?" he asked urgently, out of breath.  
  
"Yes, but I'm afraid its already boarding and I can't let you through if you don't have a ticket." She told him.  
  
Dennis bent down exhausted as he rested his hands on his knees, he felt like he was going to collapse.  
  
For some reason Evelyn couldn't move, she turned around and walked in the opposite direction, back to the lobby... she couldn't allow herself to leave.  
  
"No! I gotta get on this plane, I gotta stop her..." Dennis argued with the attendant.  
  
(And I forgot  
  
to tell you  
  
I love you  
  
and the night's  
  
too long  
  
and cold here  
  
without you  
  
I grieve in my condition  
  
for I cannot find the words to say I need you so)  
  
As he leaned up, the spectral viewers slid out of his inside jacket pocket and fell to the red-carpeted floor. Dennis looked up at the ramp, Evy was standing there, only a few feet away staring at him stunned.  
  
Dennis took off running towards her, knocking down the flight attendant, and crushing the viewers under his feet as he ran, Evelyn dropped her bag and ticket and ran to him as fast as she could. Dennis grabbed her and kissed her as hard as he could, Evy did the same.  
  
"Oh, its you." Evy said out of breath as soon as they released each other.  
  
"Yeah, its me." Dennis said smiling as he held her tight, Evy leaned in and kissed him softly.  
  
The plane to New York pulled away from O'Hare's airfield one passenger short as Evelyn and Dennis embraced each other inside the airport. They had no money, no jobs, and no friends... but they had a future... together.  
  
(Music Out)  
  
~The End~ 


End file.
